The Hamptons
by jabamiah
Summary: To celebrate Rick's birthday, Kate, Lanie, Ryan, Jenny and Esposito are invited to spend the weekend at Castle's manor, in the Hamptons. They were supposed to have fun and relax far from Manhattan, but sometimes, nothing happens as expected. One weekend. And everything changes. Middle of season 4. Caskett, Esplanie, all the cast.
1. Chapter 1

Hi there!  
Here is a new Castle fanfiction, originally in French, that my dear friend **Hell-and bliss** and I wanted to translate into English. The original story was her idea, and we decided to co-write it. At first we posted it on the Castle Frenchboard and then we thought that translating it and posting it here would be a good idea. Hope you'll enjoy your reading :)

**What : Drama, Thriller, Romance**

**Who : Rick Castle, Kate Beckett, Kevin Ryan, Jenny Ryan, Javier Esposito, Lanie Parish, Alexis Castle, Martha Rogers, Victoria Gates  
**

**When : middle of season 4  
**

**Rating : T  
**

*Please note that we are French and not really bilingual so sometimes the translation may be in broken English. We apologize in advance and ask for your indulgence. ^_^

...

**THE HAMPTONS**

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**CHAPTER 1**

"All right, we shouldn't be that far…at the next crossroads, turn on the left," Kevin Ryan said as he carefully read his map from the passenger seat of Javier Esposito's car. Javier was holding the wheel, wearing sunglasses.

They were driving on a little country road, under a beautiful Spring sun. It was a Friday afternoon of April. The two detectives were heading to their friend Rick Castle's magnificent house of the Hamptons for his birthday party.

"…Are you sure about that?" Esposito frowned and asked after a few seconds. If they turned on the left, they would leave the asphalt road for a dirt one, surrounded by bushes and green broad-leaved trees.

"It's been thirty minutes at least we left Wainscott, the last known place of the surroundings, and that we've been driving through the East of the Hamptons…I mean, it looks like we're lost. Did you see those weird dented roads? It doesn't look good to me", Esposito explained, skeptical.

Ryan rolled his eyes.

"Come on, Javi. I'm reading the map right here. We were supposed to cross Wainscott and drive away. I'm telling you this is the right direction," he replied, a little bit annoyed.

"All right. Left, then?" Esposito repeated, still not convinced.

"Yes, left!" Kevin said louder. "Geez, I can see how much you trust your copilot, thanks", he mocked as he folded up the map.

Esposito sighed and finally turned on the left, following the little dirt road.

A few meters later on that sinuous road that was leading them through a deserted countryside, he couldn't help but add a comment.

"It's just that I don't trust that dirt road you know…Castle is a freaking rich writer and owns a super classy house, man. I don't think such a dented road would lead us to…"

Javier couldn't finish his sentence and just opened his mouth wide, captivated by the beautiful sightseeing that appeared suddenly in front of them, just after another turn. He stopped the car immediately.

"…to that" he finally said, still amazed.

A hundred meters away, there was a big colonial house made of dark bricks and stones. The manor was at least 100 m² big and its height was also impressive. The slate roof made the building look even more classy and sumptuous.

"Oh my God," Ryan managed to say without blinking.

"You said it", Esposito said as he raised his sunglasses on top of his forehead. He pressed the clutch pedal and slowed down as they approached the property.

There was a wide bow alley of white gravels in front of the house where Rick's Ferrari was parked. Javier recognized the vehicle and parked his own on the right side, next to the green garden.

"Here we are…finally" Esposito sighed as he stopped the engine.

"We're going to have fun this weekend, buddy" Kevin said enthusiastically as he smiled and exited the car. He opened the back door and grabbed his bag, while Javier got out of the car and closed the driver's door, glad they had reached their destination after all this time on the road.

"It took us more than three hours of driving, can you believe it? I don't know for you, but personally I'm freaking exhausted", Esposito sighed as he yawned and stretched to ease the muscles of his back.

"Need a massage?" Kevin joked as he closed the car's door with a playful smile that made detective Esposito frown.

"What's going on dude? Three hours without your beloved Jenny, and just because we listened to some Elton John's songs on the way, wham, you're…"

Kevin let out a laugh and didn't let him finish.

"Come on…you really think I'd give you a massage?" he joked with a grin. "You'd better shut up and turn away" he added as he nodded towards Javi's back. Esposito followed his move.

A few meters away, next to the house, there was another car parked 20 meters away behind Castle's Ferrari. They hadn't seen it at first because it was a tiny blue-sky car, slightly dented bumper. Javier recognized Lanie Parish's vehicle immediately. The young woman was standing next to her car, wearing an elegant black and beige skin-tight dress, opened in the back, and pretty short. Her long dark hair was balancing on her shoulders as she leant on the trunk to grab her bag. Esposito watched a few seconds her lower back before realizing Lanie wasn't alone. Detective Beckett appeared next to her, wearing casual blue jeans and a black tank top. She put her bag around her shoulder and lift her sunglasses up.

Javier turned to Kevin with a smile.

"All things considered, I wouldn't refuse a massage, bro…especially since Lanie is an expert. You know, when she massages the…"

"Nah, I don't wanna hear about it", Ryan interrupted with a funny face, as he walked away. Esposito watched him go, amused, before grabbing his own bag.

"Lanie, Kate!" Kevin called as he walked towards them. Kate turned to him, as Lanie took her suitcase and shut the trunk.

"Ryan and Esposito, what a surprise", detective Beckett said with a smile as she studied Ryan's clothes quickly. He was wearing a navy blue and orange checked shirt which made Kate think of boy scouts.

"Nice shirt, Ryan…I guess it's another gift from Jenny?" she teased playfully. Lanie chuckled as she looked at his shirt.

"So what", Ryan pouted. "So, did you guys arrive just now too?" he asked.

"We arrived a few minutes ago, indeed", Kate nodded.

"And you guys went together", Esposito said as he looked at Lanie who couldn't help but smile.

"How clever you are, detective, as usual…I'm so impressed", Doctor Parish teased as she walked in front of him, pulling her suitcase behind her. Kate followed her steps, with a smile. Esposito glared at his ex-girlfriend before turning to Ryan.

"I guess there won't be any massage for now", Ryan whispered not to be heard.

"Shut up, Ryan" the latino grumbled.

Kate, who had heard what he just said, looked back at them, suspicious.

"There you are!"

That voice. It was so familiar. Kate turned towards it and saw Rick Castle, cheerful and smiling, walking towards them. He was wearing a casual blue polo shirt and jeans. Kate smiled back at him, glad to see him and was about to say something when she suddenly heard a dog barking. That barking…she had heard it somewhere. She couldn't think about it, as Royal appeared from the big entrance door and ran towards the small group.

"Royal?" Kate said surprisingly, as she saw the dog exit the house and join them. The golden retriever jumped at her, standing on his two hind legs. Kate stroked his head vigorously and laughed uncontrollably like a kid, as he was licking her face.

"Beckett, I think he missed you", Rick smiled, before looking at Lanie, Esposito and Ryan.

"I'm so glad to see you!" he said. "How was your trip?"

"Pretty long, but it was easy to find, as I have a good sense of direction" Esposito replied proudly, as Ryan glared at him, offended.

"Sense of direction? You gotta be kidding," Lanie chuckled, which made Kevin smile again.

"What is that dog doing here?" Kate asked.

"Well, I live here a few months a year…" the writer replied with a playful tone, proud of his joke. Kate rolled her eyes and tried to ignore his comment.

"Hilarious. Seriously, Rick…Did you adopt Royal behind my back?" she asked, curious and jealous at the same time.

"Oh come on, I wouldn't do such a thing", he said, as he laid a hand on his chest.

"The fact is, I invited his owner to come here for my birthday party tonight…"

"What, Kay's here?" Esposito interrupted with an enthusiastic smile. Lanie glared at him with a cold look. She would have scalped him right away if she had had her M.E tools in her hand.

"Sorry to ruin your expectations, Esposito, but unfortunately she's on holiday in the Caribbean…" Castle explained.

"Oh", Javier said, a little bit disappointed.

"Why don't you join her, Casanova? Nobody's holding you back here", Lanie said coldly, crossing her arms. Esposito glared at her, as she refused to meet his look. Then she leant over the dog and stroked him with Kate.

"Anyway, she offered me to take care of Royal for a few days, and I just couldn't refuse. Besides, Alexis loves him."

"Not only Alexis", Esposito said, as he saw Lanie and Kate's attention focused on the dog. They both were petting him tenderly.

The two men shared a look before Rick turned to Ryan.

"By the way, Ryan…where's your beautiful wife? Did she stand us up?"

"Isn't she beautiful?" Ryan said, crossing his arms with an ecstatic smile. As Esposito looked at him ironically, he shook his head and explained : "Well, in fact she worked until late this afternoon…for an important meeting. But she'll take the train in a few hours and I'll pick her up at the closest station". Then he smiled again, daydreaming. "I miss her", he added with a kind of sad voice.

"I'm sure of that", Rick replied with a smile as Javier nodded. Gosh, his buddy was so desperately romantic.

"Martha and Alexis are already here?" Kate asked as she stood up and left Royal to Lanie.

"Yes they are. Alexis is in charge of the decoration, and my mother is on the phone with the caterers…Tonight's gonna be a good night!"

"So, how is it to get older, Ricky?" Kate teased him. Rick's eyes widened.

"What? Somebody's getting older here? Nobody told me", he said with humor. Kate smiled at him.

"Nice try. But when you get your birthday cake tonight, you won't be able to escape from reality," she cheerfully teased again.

"Instead of trying to ruin my mood, follow me, I'll pay you a visit and show you our room…"

"I beg your pardon?" Kate asked, frowning.

"YOUR room, I meant", he corrected quickly, clearing his throat.

"Yeah, that's better", she said, still amused, watching him out of the corner of her eye.

"I can't wait to visit", Lanie said, as she lightly hopped from one foot to another. She was literally staring at the big house in admiration. Rick smiled at her and held out his arm.

"Well, be my guest, Doctor Parish. I'm sure you will appreciate your visit, especially the Jacuzzi…" Rick said with a charming smile and a wink.

"You definitely know how to talk to women, writer boy", Lanie laughed playfully. They shared a fake laugh, almost arrogant, that doesn't look like them, as Kate watched them walk away, amused.

"Well, if Lanie starts to play Kay Cappuccio, we're doomed", she sighed. Esposito shrugged.

"Personally, I don't mind," he said in a detached manner. Kevin laughed at him as Kate rolled her eyes.

...

_... to be continued_


	2. Chapter 2

**Hi people! We would like to thank all the subscribers just for the first chapter, it really means the world to us. Thanks for the reviews too :) Here is the next chapter, hope you'll enjoy it.**

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**..**

**...**

**CHAPTER 2**

**.**

Lanie heard three knocks on the heavy wooden door of her room and guessed somebody was standing outside.

"Come in", she said as she was busy taking some clothes out of her suitcase that was wide open on the double-size bed.

Kate entered the room and quickly looked around.

"Well, well, well, you do have a nice room too!" she said with an approving smile.

"Yup, I think so too. Rick sure knows how to treat his guests," Lanie smiled. "I gotta see your room too, by the way. Is it far from mine?" she asked, as she refolded a tank top.

Kate flopped down into Lanie's bed and stared at the ceiling.

"Mm…sort of. It's on the other side of the hallway actually. Between Rick's room and Ryan and Jenny's", Kate replied. Lanie let out a laugh.

"Castle gave you a room next to his? Oho. He's not very subtle" she said frankly. Kate sat up on the bed and raised one eyebrow.

"What do you mean?"

Lanie rolled her eyes.

"Oh, come on, Kate."

Kate sighed and shrugged.

"You know what, I don't care actually. Seriously, I don't mind having my room next to his."

"Of course you don't", Lanie said ironically. Kate glared at her but didn't want to argue and just kept going.

"What bothers me is that on the other side, I share a wall with Ryan and Jenny…and you know how these two are always still in their "honeymoon phase" since their wedding. I may not sleep at night at all if you know what I mean…" she sighed.

"Why?" Lanie asked. Kate rolled her eyes.

"Seriously, do I have to draw you a picture?" she said. The M.E burst out laughing.

"Honey, if you really can't sleep, come to my room and we'll share my bed. It's a double-size one. That should be fun", she suggested with a smile. It was Kate's turn to chuckle.

"Very funny."

"What?"

"Lanie, stop trying to convince me that Castle gave you a room next to Esposito's, and none of you guys complained about it, as if you didn't consider one second there might be a possibility that something happen between you guys? Really?" Kate said, staring at Lanie. All things considered, judging by Lanie's surprised look, it didn't cross her mind.

"What…are you serious? You think just because we're neighbors, something's going to happen between us?" Lanie repeated, trying to understand what she meant.

"I know you…it would be really surprising if nothing happens", detective Beckett said with a smile. Lanie rolled her eyes and tried to focus on her suitcase full of clothes.

"Well, you're wrong, honey. Let me remind you that we both moved on. We are over", she said with a tone that was supposed to sound convincing and indifferent.

Kate studied Lanie's look and couldn't help but smirk. Lanie sighed with irritation and crossed her arms.

"What," she mumbled. Kate shrugged.

"Nothing. It's just that I spend my time at work surrounded by people who lie. So I kinda became an expert at figuring them out..."

"Well, I spend my time using scalpels on bodies and I'm also an expert for that, so watch out, I might start to practice on living human beings if you keep going on. And for your information, I always bring tools in my car," Lanie replied with humor.

Her friend nodded and smiled at the comment.

"Lanie, please stop lying to yourself."

"Why would you say that?" Lanie protested. "Kate, he completely forgot me."

"Sure. That's why I caught him eyeing your twins when Castle greeted us earlier", Kate smirked.

After Kate's revelation, Lanie stared at her friend, surprised. She was trying hard not to grin, although this was certainly nice to hear.

"Oh…Really?" she said, raising her eyebrows, still trying not to sound like a teenage girl.

"Yeah…do you really think that means he forgot you?" detective Beckett said with humor.

Lanie smiled before shaking her head resolutely.

"We're talking about Esposito here, Kate. He always stares at boobs. Not just mine."

"Well, good point," Kate admitted.

"And did you see his reaction when Castle talked about Kay?" Lanie added with an irritated voice. Then Kate rolled her eyes.

"He only said that to make you react. And see? it works!"

Lanie sighed and remained silent. Kate added:

"Lanie, you guys are crazy about each other. I don't even know why you broke up! You and Javi are meant to be together but you guys do everything you can to deny the obvious. Why are you doing this seriously?"

Lanie stared at Kate, eyes widened.

"Are you kidding me, YOU are really telling me this?" she said.

"What do you mean," Kate frowned. Lanie continued:

"You and writer boy…Do I have to draw you a diagram?"

Detective Beckett rolled her eyes.

"And there you go…why do you always bring him back to the conversation?" she sighed as she got up from the bed.

"Well, it's not like we are spending the whole weekend at his house, aren't we? And for what occasion, honey? His birthday…so it's hard not to talk about him, you know," she teased.

"Well, it's different," Kate protested.

"Why that?" Lanie asked softly.

"Because nothing ever happened between us…"

"What about the kiss one year ago?" Lanie interrupted.

"We were undercover", Kate claimed. She couldn't help but smile at the memory.

"And let me tell you that Espo and Ryan would be dead now if we hadn't kissed," Kate added, hoping it would be enough to convince Lanie.

"Hum Hum. So I guess I should thank you for that?" the M.E teased, crossing her arms.

Kate rolled her eyes and sighed, deciding to stop arguing.

"Anyway…I will not sleep in your bedroom," she said finally.

"Why?" Lanie asked, raising one eyebrow.

"Because I don't wanna hear you jabbering about Castle and me all night…and most of all, because between Espo and you, and Jenny and Ryan, they're definitely NOT the loudest ones," she teased.

Lanie opened her mouth, before throwing her pillow at Kate who avoided it at the last second with a smile. Beckett jumped off the bed and reached to the door, trying not to laugh.

"How dare you…" Lanie laughed. She watched her walk away, still amused by what she just said.

"Come on, let's go downstairs, join the group?" Kate offered, as she opened the door and looked back at Lanie.

"Yup", she nodded with a grin, after grabbing her sunglasses on the night table.

...

_... to be continued_


	3. Chapter 3

**Hello guys and thank you so much for the feedbacks. Here is the next chapter. Enjoy your reading! :)  
**

**...  
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**CHAPTER 3  
**

It was almost twilight and the temperatures were getting cooler as the rays of sun were starting to fade. It was around 6 p.m and the guests were about to arrive at the manor of the Hamptons to celebrate the famous writer's birthday.

Lanie was gazing at the view from the terrace, her sunglasses on top of her head. She thought how amazing the landscape was as she stared at the woods surrounding the property. Damn, Rick Castle was a lucky guy.

"A penny for your thoughts, Doctor Parish", said a voice just behind her, snapping her out of her reverie.

Lanie turned back and saw a grinning Castle who was offering her a glass of cocktail. She nodded slightly and grabbed the glass before sniffing it delicately to guess what it was.

"Thank you…what is it?"

"Just a drink. Oh, and I put some drugs in it of course", he replied playfully. Lanie gave him the eye and Castle cleared his throat. "Okay, right. It's a homemade cocktail. One of my specialties. I haven't named it yet but, try it, I'm sure you'll love it."

Lanie took a sip and her eyes widened.

"Yum! Delicious", she said in a surprised tone.

"Yes, that's what they all say," he teased again.

Lanie was about to take another sip when she stopped herself one moment. She raised her eyes towards Rick.

"Wait…shouldn't we wait for the other guests?"

"Come on, it's just one drink. And why the wait?" he shrugged. "There will be enough drinks tonight for everyone, don't worry about it!"

"I guess so…you're a rich man", she said as she looked around.

"And my greatest pleasure is to take care of my loved ones," he added as he clinked glasses with the M.E.

"Oh, Rick Castle, are you trying to seduce me?" Lanie asked, faking an offended look.

"Always, you know well!" he winked.

Lanie smiled at him, entering his game.

"Watch out, I'm not an easy prey, you know."

"I know…but it's only your first drink. And the party hasn't begun yet", he whispered as he raised his eyebrows seductively.

Amused, Lanie let out a laugh and raised her glass again.

"Well, we'll see! Cheers!"

_Her laugh…every time he heard it, his heart started to pound faster in his chest. She always had that special laugh that brightened her face and made her eyes shine. She was so beautiful…_

"Esposito", a voice said suddenly to the ears of the detective, bringing him back to reality. He almost jumped off the sofa.

Det. Esposito quickly turned back to face Kate Beckett, who was the one who had just whispered to scare him. And she seemed pretty proud of it.

"Beckett? What the hell? You scared me," he said, frowning.

"Oh come on. You're overreacting. I barely whispered to your ear," she said as she shrugged and sat next to him on the sofa.

"Nope you didn't. And it's rude."

"Sorry, but I just couldn't help it. You looked so frozen that I had to check you didn't turn into a statue or something."

Esposito shook his head.

"Bullshit."

"Anyway, I had to do something, otherwise somebody else would have caught you eyeing Lanie. You're not very discreet, you know…" Kate added as she grabbed a green olive and stuffed it in her mouth.

"Wh…? I wasn't!" he protested as he looked back at her. "Besides…it's none of your business!"

"I know, but I love teasing you about our favorite medical examiner. It's so funny how you get easily riled all the time," she said as she her tilted her head towards Esposito. "You get so nervous and irritated. It's cute."

"It's cute", he repeated ironically. "First, what are you doing on MY sofa? Don't you have a writer to bother instead?"

"Ha ha. I thought it would be funnier to bother you. And the writer as you said, is in good company. But you already know that, since you've been eyeing her for almost fifteen minutes now", Kate said as she took another olive.

"Where are my crackers? You didn't even bring me some?" Esposito asked, raising his eyes to hers.

Kate shook her head no, her mouth full.

"I am confused", interrupted Martha Rodgers, holding a tray in her hands as she approached them. "I am a terrible hostess, please", she apologized as she held it towards Javier and Kate. "Please try this, this is homemade fish _canapé_. Delicious."

Javier Esposito sat up on the sofa, a little bit embarrassed.

"I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to sound rude. I could have got them myself."

"Don't be ridiculous, detective, help yourself," Martha said as she looked at Javier impatiently, waiting for him to taste and say a comment.

"How is it?"

His mouth full, the detective replied with a nod, raising his thumb up. Martha smiled victoriously and turned to Kate who shook her head politely.

"Thanks but no thanks. I'm saving for later."

"Oh, come on, just one! it doesn't hurt. Don't tell me you're on diet!"

Kate smiled softly. "I'm not. But really, thanks. Later, I promise!"

Martha sighed as she took the tray back and was about to go back to kitchen when she stopped herself. "Well, there won't be anything left later especially if the young girl out there doesn't stop feeding that golden retriever" she said as she put her hand on her hips before heading to the kitchen. "Alexis Castle! Will you stop? I can see you!"

The young redhead girl raised her eyes to her grandma, busted.

"I gave him only one!" she claimed.

"Yes, that's it, only one, just like the one you gave him five minutes ago!" Martha replied as she put the set on the counter.

"No, that one was the ham stuffed one," she replied with humor.

Martha looked at her, eyes widened, before shaking her head.

"You… You're definitely your father's daughter!"

"Who's talking about me?" Rick asked as he came into the room, Lanie following his steps.

"I am. Your daughter has decided to waste our delicious _canapé_, and give them to Royal", Martha replied.

Rick glanced at her daughter before commenting:

"Well, that dog is a _bourgeois_. He just has expensive taste. Besides mother, you should be flattered he appreciates your cooking."

"I give up," Martha sighed.

The conversation stopped as they heard footsteps coming downstairs. It was Kevin Ryan, a jacket on top of his shoulder, who was coming down in a hurry.

"I'm sorry, I have to go. I have to pick up Jen at the station."

"Do you want me to come with you?" Rick offered.

Ryan hesitated a second before shaking his head.

"Nah, please don't bother. I won't be long."

"You won't be long? With your sense of direction?" Esposito interrupted as he got up from the sofa. "I wouldn't bet on it, man."

His colleague smirked. "Ha ha. Look who's talking. Let me remind you that thanks to my sense of direction as you say, we arrived here safe."

"You mean, thanks to the map."

"Map that I can read, and thank God, because if we had to rely on you…" Ryan said as he put his jacket on.

"All right, children. Time's up. I'm going with you Ryan, what about a ride in Ferrari?" Rick interrupted as he patted the Irish's shoulder. Ryan grinned.

"Wh…Are you serious?" he asked.

"Well, if you prefer Esposito's small car…"

"No, I don't!" Ryan replied quickly as he tossed Esposito's keys to his buddy. Irked, Javier caught his car keys and gave him the eye.

"Nobody ever drives on these country roads. We're going to make that baby roar. You wanna drive?" Rick offered as he pulled down his sunglasses.

"I…it's just.." Ryan didn't know what to say.

"Trust me, I know what it's like when Rick takes his big red toy for a ride…" Martha sighed. "Please, don't be late, the guests will arrive soon, and nothing's ready yet", she added.

"I'll be good, mother, I promise", Rick said as he lead Ryan to the door. The Irish looked back at Esposito who was still speachless. He smiled victoriously and then exited the house, following the writer's steps.

"He…Castle's gonna let him drive?" the latino hardly managed to say.

Then he looked at Kate, trying to search for comfort but she just shrugged and ate another olive proudly.

"Don't look at me Espo, I can't even say I feel sorry for you, I've already driven his car too", she admitted with a playful smile.

He gave her the eye before sighing heavily. Then he turned to Lanie who tried hard not to laugh.

"I forgot two cool boxes in the car. Lend me some help?" he asked, slightly tilting his head.

"All right," she replied softly. It was hard to resist to his puppy eyes.

Javier opened the door and lead her out. She appreciated the gesture and smiled back at him.

He watched her go down the stairs and followed her closely, gazing at her luscious body that was moving graciously at each step. Suddenly she snapped him out of his reverie.

"Javi!"

"Hmm…what?"

"Open the trunk!" she said impatiently.

Esposito nodded and unlocked it with the remote. Lanie opened the trunk and grabbed one of the boxes.

"Is it okay?" Javier asked as he moved closer to her.

"I'm used to that kind of boxes, you know," she replied simply.

"Yeah, right", he said with a smile as he grabbed the other one. "So…you came here alone?"

Lanie frowned and waited a moment. She looked around them before replying.

"Hmm…No I don't see anyone around. Guess it means I came here alone indeed", she said, rolling her eyes. "What about you? No girl at your arm tonight?"

"Well…as you can see… Castle didn't tell us we were allowed to bring a +1 to his party, anyway…"

"Oh I see. You mean it's Castle's fault if you're alone tonight, then…" Lanie said matter-of-factly.

"No, I mean…well, it doesn't mean I would have brought someone if I could…"

"Whatever Javi," Lanie cut him off, shrugging. "You're a big boy, you do what you want!"

Javier stared at her and was about to say something but Lanie had already grabbed the box and walked away. He watched her go back the house and shook his head, before he shut the car's trunk with a heavy sigh.

_...to be continued_


	4. Chapter 4

**Hi everyone! Long time no update, sorry...but we are back! The beginning of the following chapter was translated by my teammate Hell-and-Bliss and I'd like to thank her again for her precious help ;) Chapter 4 is a pretty long one so we divided it into different parts. So here's the first one. Now, enough talking, we hope you'll appreciate your reading again, and also, we wish you guys all the best for 2013 :) xoxo**

…

Rick Castle's birthday party was in full swing for more than two hours now. The guests had arrived throughout the evening, and the beautiful garden of the property was now crowded with people. His friends were there, but also people he worked with or used to work with and of course, the 12th precinct team.

The night had fallen on the Hamptons, and candles and lights were shining across the garden, making all the gorgeous property look like a picturesque postcard.

Some very exotic music was playing everywhere in the garden and a catering service was offering to the guests their best champagne, served among other appetizers and tasty cakes.

Among the guests, Kate Beckett was wearing a gorgeous backless red dress. Absently looking at the crowd, the beautiful detective grabbed a glass of champagne and quickly thanked the waiter, her eyes still focused on Rick Castle, who was standing about twenty meters ahead, on the terrace.

Rick Castle was laughing with his friends, other writers, his agent, and his editor and ex-wife, Gina Cowell. The blonde lady looked stunning in a shiny gold dress, and Kate couldn't stop staring at her, feeling bitterness quickly crossing her mind. She didn't belong to this universe of money, and champagne, and rich and powerful people…She just felt out of Rick's world, once again.

When Gina stroked Rick's arm, Kate felt even worse. Even worse, because Rick had let her do so, obviously pleased with her company. She had never seen him with such a radiant smile before…and he was smiling like that, with Gina. Not her. From Kate's point of view, it couldn't be worse.

While she was still over thinking everything and torturing herself, Kate felt a hand gently stroking her arm.

"How are you doing, darling?"

Kate turned her head towards Martha Rogers and smiled at her. The actress was wearing a yellow/green tight dress so shiny that nobody at the party could miss it.

«I'm fine, thank you. You look stunning, Martha. I love your dress. »

« Oh Thank you, honey…I love it too…And you know what? I already wore it in the eighties…"

"Well, I'm sure you weren't any more gorgeous than tonight.

"Awww you're adorable." Martha replied, flattered. « But let me tell you, I can't be any more gorgeous than you tonight, my dear. » she added, winking to Kate who was now blushing.

« Speaking of which, I should castigate my son for daring abandoning the most beautiful girl of the party…where the hell is he?! " Martha grumbled, looking all around them.

"On the terrace, with Gina." Kate replied, glancing at them again.

« They seem so close, tonight. » she added. Martha smiled and shook her head.

"It's all about work, Kate. Only about work…Publishing, advertising…well, you know. Boring stuff." She rolled her eyes, making Kate smile again.

"Looks like they are having fun talking about this boring stuff." Kate added, still watching them. They were still laughing like kids with the other writers.

Martha shrugged.

"Well, maybe. But it's professional only. Believe me, Kate. Gina and Rick are over. And for a long time, now. »

Kate looked at Martha, a little bit surprised by her talk. The detective shook her head and stammered.

"Oh, I didn't say that to…I mean I…I didn't mean to say…"

Martha didn't let her finish.

"My son really cares about you, you know." She softly answered, stroking Kate's arm again. Then she winked again at the detective and walked away, heading to the part of the buffet where old friends of her were standing.

Kate watched Martha heading to the buffet with a smile, before staring at Rick again. Of course she knew he cared about her. Or well, she hoped so. But she couldn't help having doubts, when she saw him having such a great time with Gina.

Finally, she sighed and rolled her eyes, and decided she would stop over thinking about it. She took another sip of her champagne, and looked around her. Everyone seemed to enjoy the party. The beautiful music of Gloria Estefan – suggested by Esposito- was playing in the garden through speakers, and even a few people were dancing on it.

Kate noticed that Alexis was talking to Jenny and Ryan. The view made her smile, as everyone from the precinct seemed to get along so well with Rick's family. But when she looked further, her smile froze. Javier Esposito was with a young waitress. She was a pretty blonde girl and Javier was foolishly smiling at her. Kate couldn't believe it. He was flirting with a waitress. And a very, very young one. It wasn't breaking news that Detective Esposito was a ladies man, but it was a long time ago before the "Parish" period. Rolling her eyes again, Kate took a deep breath and started to walk towards him.

…

"And have you ever been to the Caribbean? "Javier asked the beautiful blonde waitress who was holding an empty tray against her.

"No, but I'd love to" she replied with a big silly grin, twirling her long hair.

"Where are you from?" she shyly asked him.

"Puerto Rico." Javier replied in a smile. "Grew up in New York, actually…But I still have family there."

"I'm sure it's beautiful."

"It is. Especially in fall. You should come. » the latino grinned.

The wink Javier gave her made her giggle like an idiot while she was still playing with her long hair, blushing.

"I'd love too…but I'm a little scared to go on my own…and I don't even speak Spanish." She explained, a little bit disappointed.

Javier giggled.

"Don't worry 'bout that…'could be your guide…and even your bodyguard." He smiled with a wink, making her blush.

« Oh really ? » she giggled, totally charmed by the handsome detective.

« _Si_. And you know, I don't mean to brag but...I've been told I'm really good at practicing foreign tongues…. » he whispered to her ear with a killer smile.

« Tell me about that, _mi amor!_ » a third voice interrupted. Javier frowned and looked towards the voice.

Kate Beckett had put her hand on the shoulder of the detective and pulled him closer, way too close according to him.

"You okay, honey?" she asked, eying the waitress. The young blonde girl eyed Kate as well, before looking again at Javier, frowning.

"I've been talking to a few guests for ten minutes and you already replaced me?" Kate laughed as she was still eying the poor waitress who really started to feel bad.

"You…are you…" the waitress stammered, pointing Javier and Kate with her finger.

"Yes," Kate replied, while Esposito answered "no" but Kate's "yes" had covered it. Furious, Esposito glared at her like he had never looked at anyone else before - not even Lanie when she had brought Toby to Ryan's wedding.

"I…I gotta go. My break is over." The waitress stammered before leaving them, offering one last guilty look to Javier. She disappeared among the crowd and Esposito sighed heavily.

"What the hell was that?" he grumbled, grabbing Kate's hand that was on his shoulder to remove it.

The gorgeous brunette grinned and took another sip of her champagne, proud of her.

"Just a little something to stop you from doing something stupid"

"I look like an asshole!"

"Definitely." Kate nodded in a chuckle. Esposito gave her the eye.

"Damn it, Kate. What's wrong with you? What did I do?!"

"Oh me? Nothing. But I don't want you to hurt Lanie."

Esposito stared at her with widened eyes, his mouth half opened.

"You're kidding, right?"

Kate stared at him, seriously.

"Do I look like I'm kidding?"

He shook his head.

"Lanie doesn't care. Besides I haven't seen her for a while", he added, quickly looking around.

Kate's smile widened.

"Oh." She started before drinking again her champagne. " That's because she's with Jake."

Esposito turned his head, frowning, and waited like ten seconds before he dared to ask that question.

"…Who's Jake?"

"He's the chief caterer."

Esposito couldn't help but giggled.

"You kidding me?" he barked.

"Nope."

"Castle paid him to work, not to flirt with his guests…" he bitterly laughed again.

Kate eyed him.

"Like you weren't flirting with a waitress ten seconds ago ? » she mocked.

Esposito rolled his eyes.

« It's different. And, it was during her break."

« Well. Jake is taking a break too. Lanie and him really seemed to get along very well…And he's incredibly sexy. » she grinned before drinking some Champagne again. But Esposito wasn't grinning at all. He kept looking at Kate like he was about to kill someone.

« How do you know that?"

« I saw them. »

« You saw them. Where ? »

« Oh, they left together…somewhere near the pool. »

Feeling jealousy growing, Javier frowned again.

« Okay so, let me get this straight : You didn't want me to flirt with this cute girl because you don't want Lanie to be hurt but she can flirt with anyone in front of me and you don't care ? »

"This cute girl? » Kate repeated with a laugh. « Espo, she could be your daughter… »

« My daughter ? Please » he laughed, shaking his head. « Besides, you didn't answer me. I can't date anyone but Lanie can? »

Kate smiled at him and nodded.

« Exactly my point. »

« …you freakin kidding me, right ? »

« Javi, not a big deal…It's fair enough, you'll be even. »

« Fair enough ? »

« You already forgot the « Kay Cappuccio » thing ? Lanie was hurt. »

« Bullshit. Besides, nothing ever happened!" he defended himself.

« You mean nothing except the way you were drooling in front of her. » she smirked.

Javi shook his head.

« Can't believe it…»

« Can't believe what ? »

Kevin Ryan was walking towards them, holding hands with his beautiful wife Jenny.

« Ask miss marriage counselor » Javier mocked, eying Kate again. She couldn't help but laughed and put her hand on Esposito's shoulder again.

« You'll thank me later, Espo. »

« When…When Lanie marries her gastronomy master ? » Javier quipped, jealous.

"What are you talking about?" Kevin frowned. « Is Lanie getting married? Who's the lucky guy? » he asked, a big smile on his face. But when he saw the way Esposito was glaring at him, his smile vanished.

« Almost gonna be Rick's speech time…and the gifts opening… » he swallowed, trying to forget the killer gaze of his best friend still on him.

« Okay, I'll get Lanie back. » Kate started, but Esposito grabbed her wrist.

« Nope, I'll go » he simply said, before adding with a bitter laugh « Let's see how sexy that jerk is", as Kate, Jenny and Ryan exchanged an amused glance.

...

_to be continued_


	5. Chapter 5

**Hi everyone. First of all, thanks for all the reviews and the new followers, it really means a lot to us :) Here's the next chapter...some of you may be disappointed but it is an Esplanie one. As I wrote in the reviews section, Hell-and-bliss and I really wanted to write about ALL the characters of the show. Besides, we needed to see Javi's reaction, right? ;) To all the Caskett fans, don't worry, there's something for you in the chapter right after, that will come very soon. Please be patient! Thanks in advance and we hope you'll still enjoy your reading. xxx**

"…and then I decided to launch my own catering company", the Jake in question said, as he was sitting on the edge of the pool, his legs in the water. Lanie was sitting next to him, and seemed to hang onto every word he said.

"It sounds like an amazing job…" she replied, grinning as she dangled her feet in the fresh water of the pool.

"Well, it's more appetizing than medical examiner, for sure", he replied with a smile.

Lanie let out a laugh, exactly when Esposito arrived at the terrace. He heard that laugh he knew so well, a few meters ahead. As soon as he saw Lanie smile to that good-looking guy, the two of them sitting on the edge of the pool, his heart sank. He felt jealousy racing through his veins, and there was nothing he could do to stop it. Her long dark hair was wet with water, beads of it dripping down her chocolate skin. Jake's shirt was also slightly wet. She certainly must have swum earlier, and they certainly splashed about in the pool, in the dark. He felt jealousy grow even more just at the thought.

Javier remained silent at first, before shaking his head, trying to forget those thoughts that made him feel sick. Then he took a step towards the pool. Towards them.

"Lanie", he snapped. Lanie turned her head to him, and her smile faded as she saw him approaching them with a cold look.

"What…" she mumbled, frowning.

"Castle is about to give his toast. Hurry up," he ordered as he kept stepping forward. He stared at them, as they were still sitting on the edge of the pool. Jake shyly raised his eyes to the latino. The way Javier was looking at him made him feel clearly uncomfortable.

"What? His toast, already?" Lanie asked in surprise as she glanced at her watch.

"Yeah, already. You guys can flirt later", he said, full of jealousy. Lanie stared at him coldly.

"Who is he?" Jake asked Lanie in a whisper, surprised by his aggressiveness.

"He's nobody," she grumbled.

Esposito smirked.

"We've been dating for one year and I'm nobody?" he said, offended. "Nice."

Lanie gave him a cold look again. She could feel that Jake was getting tensed. He finally got up on his feet and stared at Esposito a few seconds, before he turned to Lanie again who was still sitting, her feet in the water.

"I have to go back to work…make sure the desserts are ready and stuff…but it was nice meeting you", he said to Lanie, with a gorgeous smile.

Before Lanie could say something, he walked away from the terrace and disappeared into the crowd. Lanie watched him go for a few seconds before she sighed heavily and stared at her ex-boyfriend.

"Damn you…" she grumbled full of anger. He rolled his eyes and stepped closer to her before he offered his hand for her to catch it. But she just avoided it and stood up by herself. She was wearing a bikini that Javier particularly liked – but he wouldn't say any comment about it. Even a tiny compliment about how beautiful she was. He knew she would be able to slap him in her condition right now.

"How dare you told him about my private life?" she finally barked as he offered her a towel from a canvas chair.

"Our private life, you mean" he corrected her.

"Whatever!" she muttered. Then she tore the towel from his hands and wrapped it around her waist without saying thank you.

"He looked nice", Esposito added slightly.

"Stop it. You're getting on my nerves." She replied coldly.

"Come on, it's not my fault if you're ashamed of the relationship we had…" he said with an accusing tone, pointing a finger at her.

"And here we go, it's my fault now! I'm not the one who showed up out of nowhere and made you look like an idiot?!"

"Wow, you did really like him?"

Lanie's head startled as she heard his question.

"It's not the point! Besides…what if I did? It's none of your business."

"Indeed, I don't care" he said with a bitter laugh.

Lanie stared at him, suddenly thinking of a theory. She hesitated before saying something about it…but finally decided to ask.

"You didn't come here because you're…sort of jealous, did you?" she asked suspiciously as she crossed her arms.

"Maybe that's what you expected, right?" he replied with defying eyes, taking another step towards her.

"In your dreams, Esposito", Lanie grumbled, as she stepped towards him too. They were standing so close to each other that they could feel each other's breath on their face.

"You and I are over." She managed to say, trying to sound convincing.

"I couldn't have said it better myself!" he answered back, with the same tone.

They kept staring at each other without blinking, both of them almost holding their breath. Their faces were slowly getting closer. They were only separated by a few millimeters when suddenly…

"Javier, Lanie?"

They both startled and turned their heads towards the voice that had just called them. Then they stepped back from each other, as if they were ashamed somebody would have caught them being so close.

Kevin Ryan was coming to the terrace of the pool, walking towards them. But when he saw them so close and uncomfortable, he slowed down his pace, wondering what was going on.

"Hem…I…I can come back later, I mean…" He stammered, uncomfortable as well. "It's just that Castle is going to give his toast and, as you guys still weren't there, I figured that I should come here and…well…"

"We're coming." The latino interrupted as Lanie walked towards the canvas chair where she had put her dress. She rubbed her body with her towel, then her long hair, as she was determined to get dressed as fast as possible.

Esposito watched her for a few seconds before looking at Ryan who had stepped towards him.

"Hem…are you okay?" the Irish asked with a little smile.

"Why wouldn't I?" Esposito replied dryly, as he didn't appreciate Ryan's suggestive smile.

Kevin shrugged.

"I dunno. I just have the feeling I interrupted something…"

Javier smirked.

"You're crazy, man?"

"Well, I don't know, you guys seemed so close, like…like you were going to kiss or something." Ryan whispered as he glanced at Lanie, hoping secretly she wouldn't hear.

Esposito laughed again, so hard he was about to choke.

"Kiss? Seriously, can you imagine us, kissing?" he laughed nervously as if it was inconceivable. Kevin stared at him suggestively – clearly meaning yes. Javier noticed it and nodded, suddenly becoming serious.

"Man, you have to stop drinking…As if I would kiss her! Damn, she's so annoying I just want to…"

He couldn't finish his phrase, as Kevin gave him a look to make him realize Lanie was walking towards them.

"All right, I'm ready", she said, as she was wearing a beautiful purple summer dress. Her long hair was still wet but she did her best to dry the most of it with the towel. Lanie stared at both of them, surprised by their silence.

"What, do I have something wrong?" she asked. Before they could answer something, she just left the terrace and headed to the manor, in order to join Kate and the other guests, for Rick's speech.

"What were you going to say?" the Irish said. Esposito was about to reply but Kevin stopped him with a funny face.

"You know what? Forget it, I don't even wanna hear it", he just said as he walked away. Esposito grinned and watched him go before he started to follow him.

_to be continued_


	6. Chapter 6

**Hello everyone. All my apologies for not uploading before, I was pretty busy. But tonight, here's the next chapter. Hope you'll enjoy that Caskett part ;) Thanks again for your support and stay tuned for the next chapters! xoxo**

**/**

"So that's it, I don't know what else to say, except that I'm grateful to all of you for coming here tonight…thanks to the people who gave me gifts that I won't return on Ebay…" Rick said as he looked at the crowd before adding "Oh yes believe me, there are some," he nodded, making some guests laugh.

"And don't forget that if some of you want to try my Ferrari…you can drop ten bucks in the little box over there on the parking lot…Come on guys, be nice, think about my daughter who's going to university soon."

The guests burst into laugh. Alexis rolled her eyes, waiting in a corner, while Kate stared at Castle, appalled by his speech. He couldn't help but brag about his car.

"I'm joking, of course. Thank you folks", he ended with a grin before he stepped down from the stage, applauded by some guests. He headed to Kate, who felt flattered to be the first person he wanted to see, while the crowd was still gazing at him.

"So, Beckett, how was my speech? Perfect like everything I write?"

"It would have been bearable if you hadn't talked about your Ferrari every 2 seconds."

"Actually it was a tribute to Esposito…I noticed that he's been pouting since I let Ryan drive earlier", Rick replied, amused.

"Tell me about it."

"Seriously, he's mad at me. He won't speak to me. He's distant…he won't look at me the way he used to…" he said in a sad tone.

"Come on, you're going to make me cry", the beautiful detective said ironically, as she placed a hand on her chest.

"Seriously, do you think he'll be fine?" the writer asked.

"Absolutely. But not tonight. He's in a really bad mood since he saw Lanie with the chief caterer you hired. And by the way, let me give you some advice. Next time, please, you definitely should hire more serious employees…"

"Well, my mother was in charge of it. She met that Jake and that was it."

"Now I get it." Kate chuckled as she pictured Martha completely under the charm of the good-looking young man.

"So, he had a crush on Lanie? Poor Esposito."

Kate swallowed hard.

"Poor Esposito? Are you kidding? Let me remind you that at the very same moment he was flirting with one of the waitresses, who by the way, was barely legal. Rick frowned, surprised.

"Why are they doing this? Ignoring what they feel for each other and trying to find someone else, it's just…"

"Ridiculous", Kate ended, as she agreed completely. Rick smiled at her, and offered her a mischievous look.

"Did you notice my plan to give them one room next to the other?" he said proudly.

"Oh, so you did plan to make them end in the same bed then?" Kate asked amused. Rick shrugged and gave her a knowing smile.

"Of course I did! If not, what's the point of giving them adjoining rooms?" he chuckled.

"So, does it mean you gave me one room next to yours for the same reason?" she asked with a grin, waiting for his answer. Rick swallowed hard as his eyes widened.

"Well…I…" he stammered. "I guess that whatever I reply, I'm screwed," he joked, a little bit uncomfortable. "By the way, did I tell you that you look absolutely gorgeous in that dress?" he added, trying to change the subject.

"Castle, you're digging yourself deeper," the gorgeous brunette replied softly, crossing her arms. She felt somewhat incredibly flattered though. But of course, she wouldn't say anything about it. Rick cleared his throat.

"All right. Where are the others?" he said quickly, trying to escape the conversation.

Martha was now on the dancefloor with Alexis who was laughing out loud, as they were dancing together some kind of Madison, while Kevin and Jenny were kissing languorously, a few meters away. They didn't even pay attention to the music at all, completely lost in their moment, forgetting about the people around them.

Lanie was sitting on a chair in the garden, spending her time petting Royal who kept giving paw in return, hoping for a cookie, while Esposito was standing a few meters further, staring at her coldly as he had turned to champagne to drown his frustration.

"It looks like Lanie definitely replaced her two suitors", Rick noticed, amused. Kate smiled and shared his look.

"Good choice. At least, this one won't break her heart!"

"Well, I wouldn't bet on it…Wait and soon you'll see him climb the stairs to Alexis's room", Rick joked. Kate smiled as well, and suddenly grabbed the writer's arm.

"Come with me," she asked in a whisper.

They took some steps holding each other's arms, as Rick raised an eyebrow, surprised. He let her lead the way though.

"Where are we going?"

"Well, I couldn't find the opportunity to give you my present yet", she replied softly, trying to hide her smile. Rick startled a little, touched by her words.

"And you're leading me to a very private place for it? Oh I've got the feeling I'm going to love it…" he whispered with a mischievous smile.

"Easy Castle, it's not what you think it is", Kate corrected, a little bit amused though.

They stopped a hundred meters further, near the terrace of the pool. There was nobody around, only the two of them. Kate finally let Rick's arm go and walked towards one of the windows. There was a box left on the edge of it, wrapped in a multicolor paper. Rick smiled as he noticed it, glad to receive another gift to open. No doubt he was still a kid for that. Kate turned to him, holding the gift that was the size of a shoebox in her hands. She finally lent it to him with a grin.

Castle grabbed it and let out a sigh.

"I have to admit, I wish your gift wasn't in a box…" he said with a wink. Kate tried hard not to smile, and just rolled her eyes.

"Sorry for disappointing you Ricky. But maybe you will like what's in it."

Her voice, so charming…the way she had said that made Rick smile again.

He didn't think twice before he unwrapped and opened the box. At first he remained silent when he saw what it was, and then, he burst into laugh.

"Oho", he said grinning, putting his hand inside. He let out a pair of fluffy pink handcuffs and offered Kate a cheeky look.

"Did my mother tell you about my dream? Spill it."

Kate let out a laugh and shook her head.

"Come on, stop fooling around. For your information, this gift goes with the other one left, in the box."

Rick gazed at her and took out the "other one" she was talking about, a little bit skeptical.

"Kate, it's a stuffed tiger. If you think I'm into animal fetishism, you really don't know me…" he frowned as he eyed the toy carefully. "It's cute and soft, though, but…"

Kate didn't let him finish.

"Rick you are hopeless," she sighed. "The handcuffs and the tiger are a tribute for one of our most dangerous cases. Don't you remember?"

It didn't take him too long to reply. Of course he remembered.

"Oh, the animal traffic, in last December", he nodded with a grin.

"Exactly. I wanted to offer you something original, that would remind you one of our memories together…besides, maybe it can be useful."

Rick looked at her, surprised.

"You're talking about the handcuffs, right?" he asked with a teasing voice. Kate shook her head and tore the tiger from his hands.

"I'm talking about this! When Alexis leaves home for university, and whenever you are in need of hugs, then you'll be able to hug something tight in your large empty bed…" she replied with a seducing voice. She tried hard not to smile, seeing his face.

He swallowed hard and took the stuffed tiger back.

"Well, when I hug it tight, I'll be thinking about you", he replied in a whisper. Kate saw the desire in his eyes and just nodded back, deciding to enter his game.

"I hope so."

Then he put the empty box, the handcuffs and the tiger on the table of the garden next to them and looked back at Kate, stroking her arm softly.

"Seriously Kate, thank you. It's adorable."

Kate just smiled. She didn't know what to say. His smile, the way he was looking at her…She couldn't find the words.

"However, let me tell you that I don't need anything to remember these moments…they are here, forever. I always think about them," Rick added as he touched his temple. Kate's smile widened and made him shiver.

They gazed at each other in silence for a moment, in this dark place of the garden that was just for them. They didn't need anything else. After a few seconds, Kate broke the silence.

"Rick…" she whispered, without knowing exactly what to say.

"Yes, Kate?"

His voice was soft, like a whisper. He was waiting for her to speak, still gazing at her.

"I…"

_"Rick?"_

Kate startled and turned her head to that voice. She didn't expect to be interrupted. Rick had turned his head too, surprised.

Gina was approaching the pool. Rick glanced at her, wondering what she wanted.

"Come here? We need to talk", she said simply.

"Oh, right", the writer remembered, as he looked back at Kate. "Kate, I…"

She cut him off.

"No, it's okay. Go", she replied, perfectly hiding her disappointment.

"You know, business stuff, I have to…"

"Go," Kate repeated, amused by the way he was trying to justify himself.

"All right. I'll go…but don't try and steal my stuffed tiger, or take my handcuffs. You already have yours," he added as he walked away like a kid. He finally stepped back a few seconds after, and took back the gifts he had put on the table while Kate watched him do so, frowning.

"Nah…I'd rather take them now," he said as he tossed the handcuffs in his pocket. Kate let out a laugh and watched him tenderly walk away, holding the tiger under his arms. He was worse than a kid, and she loved him for that. Nobody had ever made her laugh or smile the way Rick Castle did. Seeing him join Gina made her heart stop though…She knew it, they were going to talk business. But they had been married. Kate shook her head, forcing herself to stop thinking about them. Thank God, Lanie wasn't far away. Kate walked back to the manor to join her best friend, forgetting about the vision of Rick walking towards his pretty publisher.

_...to be continued_


	7. Chapter 7

**Hello people! Thank you so much for the feedbacks and the new followers. Hope you're going to enjoy today's next part :) xoxo**

* * *

/

Three long hours had passed. The party was over, and the guests were leaving by small groups, as well as the catering service. It was late and the night was dark and fresh.

Martha Rogers opened the fridge of the kitchen to put a plate of toasts away. When she turned back, she saw her son standing in front of her, smiling softly. Without saying anything, he kissed his mother on the forehead.

"Thank you, mother," he said as he slowly stepped back.

"What did I do?" Martha asked. Rick grabbed her hands and shrugged.

"Thanks for being such a perfect mother…for helping organizing the party, and thanks for telling the caterer to add an extra layer of whipped cream on the choux pastry."

Martha smiled.

"My pleasure, honey. Celebrating your birthday without whipped cream, it would be like crime novels without yours…" she joked.

"Or the world of theater without your talent", Castle added, amused.

"Aw", Martha said, as she tenderly stroked his cheek. "Where have you been?"

"I was leading Gina to her car", Rick explained as he took another potato chip from the almost empty bowl on the counter of the kitchen.

"Did she have fun tonight?"

"We didn't fight if that's what you're asking."

"That's what I'm asking", Martha nodded, softly smiling.

"Well, as you can see. I'm a grown-up man. Everything happens", Rick teased.

Martha gazed at him tenderly for a few seconds.

"I can't believe my little boy has become a so grown-up man. And so old…" she added with nostalgia, as she pinched his cheek.

"That's what you say every year…"

"But I have to admit something…It's more and more difficult through the years", she confided with emotion.

Rick smiled and hugged her tight, laying his chin on her red hair.

"For you, I'll always be the little boy adventurer who skipped classes to hide in the library…" he whispered, feeling nostalgic as well.

"I miss those years…even if I would have preferred you didn't drop school that much", Martha teased as she closed her eyes, resting against his chest.

"How touching", a third voice interrupted behind them, after a few seconds.

Alexis was standing against the wall of the kitchen, wearing a white and blue striped pajama. Rick let his mother go.

"And for you, I'll always be the father shocked that his daughter isn't in her bed at late hours!" Rick said as he gave her daughter a fake offended look.

"Dad, it's just 4am," Alexis protested. Rick looked back at his mother.

"Don't look at me like that, honey. She didn't get that trait from me this time. I'm exhausted," Martha said as she yawned.

"Alexis, do like your grandma. Bed time now", Rick ordered.

"But Lanie, Kate and the boys went to the Jacuzzi with the last pack of beers!" she claimed. Rick frowned.

"So what? Is that supposed to convince me?" he said. Alexis rolled her eyes.

"Dad, it's your birthday!" she tried again. Rick shook his head.

"Nope. Actually it was a month ago. And no, I won't let you see this. Seeing adults ending their party at 5 am, desperately wallowing in beer…that's so pathetic", he realized as he spoke.

Alexis gave him a look.

"But you're going to join them!" she said. He shrugged.

"What can I say? I'm a pathetic guy," he said, with a victorious smile. Alexis sighed.

"All right, I got it. I let you have fun with your pathetic adult activities. But at least, can Royal sleep in my room tonight?" she asked, grinning. The kind of smile she always used since she was little so that her father wouldn't refuse. From that point of view, nothing had really changed. It was always working.

"Why are you even asking? I'm sure he's already on your bed", Rick replied, amused.

Alexis tried hard not to grin. Of course he was. The writer rolled his eyes.

"Of course, take that fluffy dog with you if you want, but honey, remember what Kay told us when she dropped him here. He snores at night and drools. Besides he takes all the space in bed," Rick said, thinking it would make her change her mind.

But Alexis shrugged again, not scared at all.

"I'm used to it with you, you know. Thanks Dad! Good night!" she said quickly before she rushed into the stairs victoriously. Rick stood still a few seconds before he turned to his mother, searching for support.

"When she was younger and we used to sleep in the same bed, she threw me her pillow for snoring loud. But with that dog, it's okay…She prefers Royal over her own father…" Rick concluded with a pout.

He placed a hand on his chest and swallowed hard, as if he was having a heart attack, which amused his mother.

"Well, you have to admit he's cute", Martha said.

"I am cute too!" Rick said offended. The actress smiled.

"Well, you know, the teen years…Anyway, I'm going to bed now", Martha said. "Did you have fun tonight, are you sure?" she asked again before leaving. He nodded and smiled.

"Yes mother. It was great."

"I'm so happy…Now that everybody's gone, let me tell you that I'm glad to spend the weekend with your friends from the precinct. They are adorable…especially Kate."

Rick stared at his mother, knowing perfectly what she meant.

"Mother…"

"Oh, by the way", Martha continued, ignoring him. "You know she felt a little bit abandoned and lonely in that crowd?"

"We spent a lot of time together!" Rick protested.

"Except when you were with Gina", Martha objected.

"There was more than 300 people tonight, mother…And everybody came to see me. What was I supposed to do? Spend the night with Beckett, handcuffed?"

"It wouldn't be the first time…besides, she definitely gave you a sign with her gift…" Martha said.

Castle gave his mother the eye and raised an eyebrow. "Did you see them?"

"Come on, I could see them out of your pocket", Martha nodded, grinning.

"It's a symbolic gift, mother."

"Whatever you say. Listen, darling. Let me tell you something. Life is short. Time flies…so don't run away from happiness for too long", she ended with emotion, before she kissed him on the cheek.

"I'll consider that. Good night, mother."

"Good night, son."

Martha disappeared into the stairs, letting the writer stand in the kitchen, lost in tracks for a few seconds. He finally smiled and walked towards the garden to join his guests left who had decided to improvise an after party in the Jacuzzi.

/

"So, are you guys having fun without me?" Rick Castle said offended, as he arrived at the Jacuzzi area, not too far from the pool of the property.

"Look who's here", Kate said, as she was resting in the bubbly water. Her hair was tight in a high bun, as she didn't want it to be soaked.

"Sorry, I was putting my daughter to bed…as well as my mother", he said. "But I can see you didn't wait for me to enjoy yourselves", he noticed as he looked at them all.

Kate and Ryan were playing with the water and splashing about, while detective Esposito was sipping another beer, letting his friends playing their childish game. Next to Ryan, Lanie Parish was enjoying the feeling of the hot tub and the bubbly water on her skin, her eyes closed. Her long hair was also tight in a side ponytail as she didn't want it to be wet either.

"That is soooo good…" she moaned in pleasure, without opening her eyes.

"That's what I used to hear when we were together…" Esposito whispered as he glanced at Ryan, proud of his joke. His friend let out a silent laugh, hoping Lanie wouldn't hear. But even her, she couldn't help but smiled, her eyes still closed. Kate gave the latino a disapproving look.

"Ouch!"

Lanie's foot had just kicked Esposito's tibia.

"Now you shut up," she ordered.

"Well done", Kate nodded, amused by Esposito's face. He was massaging his painful leg.

"Anyway, I want the same Jacuzzi at my place," Lanie said.

"I promise you, Doctor. I'll be thinking about it for your next birthday", the writer smiled. He took off his pants and his t-shirt, revealing his blue swimming short suit. Then he carefully entered the Jacuzzi and found a seat between Kate and Esposito.

"Watch out, it's narrow here. We're gonna get close", Rick warned as he slipped into the water. He gave Kate a charming look but didn't really want to come closer. That was Javier who felt the writer's body so close to him. He was almost touching him. With a disgusted look, detective Esposito slowly shifted towards Lanie.

"Sorry", he warned her. "Castle takes all the space", he added as he looked at Lanie with a soft smile. Lanie nodded and ignored him, smiling slightly though.

"Finally, some rest," Castle sighed as he appreciated the feeling of the hot water and the bubbles on his skin.

"Poor Ricky…were the guests that difficult to endure?" Kate teased him.

"If only you knew. It was a great party, but the best part is when it ends…Did you guys have fun tonight at least?" he asked as he looked at his friends.

"Awesome", Ryan nodded. "The caterer food was delicious. Not as much as your mother's cooking though", he added.

"Flattering", Rick smiled, while Lanie and Esposito shared a look, both of them thinking about their own "crush" earlier. They wouldn't say any comment about it though.

"The music was great too", Kate said with a smile.

"Yeah, thanks to whom?" Esposito asked proudly. He opened another bottle of beer and lent it to Castle who grabbed it with a smile.

"So, you're not mad at me anymore about the Ferrari, right?" he asked carefully. Esposito shrugged.

"Nah. If you let me drive this weekend, it should be fine."

"I promise. Cheers, guys", Rick said cheerfully as he clinked his bottle against Esposito's, and then Ryan's, in front of him.

Kate glanced at them with a disgusted look.

"How can you drink beers again at that time of night?" she asked.

"If you had joined the army, you'd know", Javier chuckled.

"I don't know about the army, but I'd say there's no time to enjoy ourselves", Rick added.

"One point goes to the writer", Ryan approved. Kate and Lanie shared a look. Kate was searching for her friend's support.

"Don't worry. I don't get it either, Kate. They disgust me too…" Lanie admitted.

"Amateurs", Ryan teased as he looked at the girls.

"Well, less than Jenny at least," detective Beckett replied.

"That's right, where is she?" Castle asked.

"My girl went to bed. She was too exhausted, she had a tough week", Ryan explained with a soft smile as he thought about his wife.

"Poor thing", teased Esposito. Lanie yawned.

"I think I'm going to do the same…"

Kate's eyes widened.

"Hey, you're not leaving me alone with them, right?"

Esposito frowned.

'What is that supposed to mean? Are we disreputable or something?" he said before he took another sip of his beer. Next to Kate, Ryan made a sound that was similar to a burp while Rick scratched the wing of his nose and sniffed out loud.

"I don't even want to answer to this," Kate whispered as she dropped her eyes. "Lanie, please, I'm begging you, stay with me," she pleaded, as she looked at her with puppy eyes. Lanie rolled her eyes.

"All right, I'll stay. But let's find something more interesting to do otherwise I'm going to fall asleep..."

"You know, there's plenty of interesting things to do for 5 people in a Jacuzzi", Rick said cheerfully. "Right, guys?"

Esposito glanced at him.

"Are we talking about the same thing here?"

They shared a knowing look for a few seconds.

"Sure we are," Rick grinned. "So…you're in?"

"No need to ask me twice," Esposito nodded with a husky voice as he gave Lanie and Kate a charming look.

Kate opened her mouth in shock. She couldn't even reply something. Lanie spoke for her.

"Guys, you can go to hell," she barked before she stared coldly at Esposito. "And you, you disgust me."

He gave her a surprised look.

"Ryan, please, say something," Kate pleaded. Ryan nodded and gave the two men a disapproving look.

"Even if I think the girls are beautiful, there's no way I would do this to Jenny! Do you know the meaning of this?" he said as he pointed his wedding ring.

Rick and Javier shared a surprised look.

"What the hell?" Esposito managed to say. Rick let out a laugh.

"Come on Ryan, I'm shocked. You too, girls. Seriously", the writer laughed.

"Yeah, what's wrong with you and your dirty minds?" Javier added. Then he glanced at Lanie. "And you, do you really think I would be gross and dare asking you that?" he asked his ex girlfriend.

"Gross, you said it", Lanie replied.

"We were talking about poker, Lanie", he mumbled.

"Yeah, sure, and we were talking about Ludo", Kate said as she rolled her eyes.

"Come on, it's true!" Rick interrupted to support his friend. He left the Jacuzzi and came back a few seconds later with a box in his hands. One of many of the gifts he had received tonight.

"We're 5, the perfect number for a poker game… I was thinking we could christen this brand new aquatic poker set and its waterproof plastic cards the boys offered me…Look, there are also floating chips," Rick explained cheerfully, grinning like a kid on Christmas.

Seeing those proofs and hearing those convincing explanations, Kate and Lanie shared a look.

"Did… did you guys offer him that?" Kate asked, looking at the boys.

"We crossed all Manhattan to find it", Ryan nodded.

"Oh", detective Beckett just said, feeling a little bit awkward and foolish.

"So, are you in?" Rick asked as he slipped into the water again and started to open the carton box.

"As long as it's not a strip poker, I'm okay," she replied. Rick gazed at her, raising an eyebrow as he immediately pictured the beautiful detective taking off the top of her bikini.

"As if you'd be shocked, Beckett…" Esposito teased her. Kate stared at him, waiting for an explanation.

"What do you mean?"

"You offer him fluffy handcuffs and you're asking me what it means?"

Kate sighed heavily as Ryan let out a laugh.

"Nice ones, by the way", he added.

"It was a symbolic gift, but it sounds too complicated for you guys to get it," Kate explained, on the defensive before she gave Rick a cold look.

"And you, of course, you had to show them to everybody!"

"They were out of my pants, even my mother saw them", Rick claimed.

"Your m…?!" Kate swallowed hard. "Great, I feel humiliated," she stammered.

"Well, as a future daughter-in-law, that's awkward for sure", Ryan said as he glanced at Esposito. Then he felt a kick in his legs.

"Ouch!"

"Oh sorry, did I hurt you Ryan?" Kate asked ironically.

"All right, what about playing now before somebody dies? I have my first-aid diploma in case of drowning but I don't want to use it tonight," Lanie interrupted as she grabbed the plastic cards from Rick's hands.

"No strip poker then?" Esposito tried again, as he glanced at Lanie with a half-smile.

"All things considered, it should be fun, Kate…they've got less clothes to take off than us," the medical examiner said, smiling, as she started to shuffle the cards. Kate glanced at Rick and Esposito, suddenly thinking that maybe a strip poker wasn't a bad idea…

The boys shared a look, suddenly feeling not that enthusiastic.

"Yeah…I guess I wasn't considering things from that angle", Rick said to his friend.

_...to be continued_


	8. Chapter 8

**Hi guys! Long time no update…I'm sorry. But here is the next chapter! Hope the Esplanie and Caskett fans will enjoy it. Thanks in advance for your reading and again, thanks for your patience and your indulgence about our Frenglish! ;) xxx**

* * *

Lanie closed the door carefully behind her. It was around 5.30 in the morning and she didn't want to wake anyone up. The night had been short enough. She quickly glanced at her left side to check her neighbor's door, Javier's. It was closed.

Wearing a simple black décolleté baby doll, the M.E was holding her toothbrush in her right hand. She stepped towards the bathroom as silent as possible where she had left her toilet bag. She had forgotten her toothbrush in the bottom of her suitcase and it had taken her a few minutes to find it. A few steps later she was standing in front of the bathroom's door, which was located on the opposite side, at the same distance from her room and Javier's.

Lanie distractedly put her toothbrush in her mouth to free her right hand and open the door. She started to hum, in a good mood.

But she couldn't make a move as she suddenly saw the door opening itself. She stopped humming and startled, as well as Javier who appeared right in front of her.

"Lanie", he just said as he didn't expect to see her awake at this late hour. Lanie didn't reply and opened her mouth, surprised as well. Her toothbrush was still hanging there; she had completely forgotten to take it out. Needless to say she was too busy eying him to speak or think about her brush.

His ex was standing in front of her, shirtless, his skin still soaked, only wearing a white towel around his waist. From the scent of cherry shampoo she could smell in the bathroom and according to what is was wearing –or rather not, Lanie guessed he had just taken a shower. Still unable to speak, the beautiful brown girl started to gaze at his muscular torso where beads of water still clung to his skin.

She shivered as she imagined herself throw her toothbrush away and run to him, capturing his mouth and melting her tongue to his savagely, until both of them would lack of oxygen.

She perfectly imagined herself jumping at him so hard he would step back into the bathroom. Then she would let the door close behind them and she would push him against the wall, their lips still joined together. The towel would slip away in the heat of the moment, and her lips would finally kiss his tan and soaked skin, from his neck first, then his shoulders to slip down on his torso and way lower…

As she suddenly realized she was still focusing on the part of his body hidden by the towel for a long time, her toothbrush still hanging into her mouth – which made her look like an idiot, Lanie raised her eyes to him, feeling her cheeks were on fire. Thank God her caramel skin helped her hide her blushing but she still felt hotness rushing through her whole body.

She finally took her toothbrush off her mouth quickly and swallowed hard.

"I…" she managed to say, her voice barely audible. She didn't even know what to say. He was driving her crazy.

She was driving him crazy.

Javier didn't reply either. The way she had been looking at him made him confused. He did notice the intensity of her gaze, the passion he was trying hard to fight back himself. Although when he had seen her, the toothbrush in her mouth and he had found it more amusing than exciting, his eyes had quickly dropped to her décolleté. Then he had swallowed hard, gazing at the perfection of her breasts. She was wearing one of his favorite baby dolls, that night. The soft black satin was perfectly matching her curves and enhanced the natural tan of her skin. As he gazed at her buxom body, some lustful pictures started to invade his mind.

If it was one of many of his reveries, Javier would lean on her quickly, grab her waist and lift her up, joining their lips into a passionate kiss, melting their tongues and breaths together. She would wrap her arms around his neck, her legs around his waist, holding him as tight as she could. In no time they would end up against the wall of the shower, under the hot water. Javier would not only make love to her, savagely and quickly. No, he would take the time to kiss her whole body, caress every inch of her soft skin, driving her crazy just the way she was driving him crazy. His hands would touch her body everywhere, his lips would taste every inch of her chocolate skin…He would love her like he never did before, oh yes he would.

Shaking his head slightly, detective Esposito stopped fantasizing and raised his eyes to Lanie's. Her gaze was so mischievous, deep, and intense. Their eyes were locked and wouldn't blink, both of them attracted to each other, both of them holding their breath. At that moment, he realized how much he loved her. He had never felt something like this before. He had known many women though. But Lanie Parish had beaten them all, hands down. The way she laughed, the charm she had. Everything about her was perfect…Even when she turned him down, a scalpel in her hand, when he tried to flirt with her at the morgue a few years ago…At that time he already got her under his skin.

If they were still together at that very moment, he would have done probably the thing he loved the most with her: stroking her long dark hair and cuddling her. He knew she loved it. Javier would have replaced her hair behind her perfect little ears, to see her forehead and her cheeks. Then he would have studied every part of that face he already knew by heart. Her sparkling dark eyes, her cute little nose, and her perfect lips he couldn't help kissing every second.

He would have gazed at her for long minutes, amazed by her beauty. That awkward situation right now made him realized he hadn't told her enough how beautiful she was for him, how crazy he was when they were together. At the crime scenes, the morgue, the street, her apartment, or his. In bed…she was driving him crazy, everywhere, all the time, whatever she did.

Javier tried hard to control his thoughts and not admit his feelings as he regained the ability to speak.

"You want…I guess you want the bathroom", he managed to say as he chuckled nervously.

"Yeah…I…um…need to brush my teeth", she said awkwardly as well.

He stepped aside to let her enter. Their bodies brushed past each other and they both hurried to move away, resisting the urge to jump at each other. Lanie stood in front the sink and couldn't help looking back at the hallway one last time. Esposito was already heading to his room. She watched him go, her eyes still full of desire, before she looked back at the mirror above the sink and sighed heavily. She really had to get those sinful thoughts off her mind.

As he arrived at his door, Javier turned his head to the bathroom. He regretted not saying anything but that stupid phrase when he had left her the bathroom. He sighed heavily, full of remorse, as he pushed the door and entered the room. When he closed the door behind him and leaned back against it, he closed his eyes and waited for a few seconds in the dark and the silence…He needed it to clear his mind. His heart raced in his chest as he thought that taking another shower –cold this time, wouldn't be a bad idea after that nighttime encounter.

...

Rick Castle turned around in his bed for the millionth time and growled as he put his blanket away. He glanced at his watch, which indicated 5.40 am. It was impossible to sleep. The room was too hot and he felt beads of sweat on the back of his neck. He put his hand on his chest and repeatedly pulled on his navy blue pajama t-shirt a little bit, hoping that it would help him cool off, in vain. He wondered whether he'd better take it off completely or not.

_What's wrong, Rick? It's only May. _Maybe it was because of all those cocktails he had drunk tonight. Or maybe it was just too hot for the season. Whatever it was, that heat was becoming unbearable, he really had to do something.

As he got up from bed, he readjusted his boxer that was too tight on the crotch with one hand and walked towards the window. He opened it and took a deep breath of fresh air from outside for a moment…until his bladder asked for his attention. Frowning, he headed to the door, opened it and checked the hallway. It was completely dark. Then he started to walk silently to the stairs in order to use the bathroom downstairs, not to disturb his sleeping guests.

…

The young woman was in the kitchen, letting the open door of the fridge cool her off, as she couldn't decide yet what to choose. There were various bottles of different colors, for different beverages. _Nope, too much drinking for tonight._ She was thirsty, but drinking more alcohol wouldn't help at all. She wanted to grab a glass bottle that seemed to contain some orange juice but finally changed her mind as she wasn't sure of it and took the bottle of milk instead. At least, she thought she wouldn't have any bad surprise.

…

Rick closed the door of the toilets with a heavy sigh. Now that it was done, he was about to go back to his room when his attention got caught by a soft light that seemed to come from the kitchen. Curious, he frowned to check it wasn't an illusion and slowly stepped forward in its direction. At the door, he froze when he saw the silhouette of the young woman that was right in front of him, leaning on the fridge. He could see her beautiful, long legs despite the weak luminosity. She hadn't even put the kitchen lights on, the fridge was enough. One could guess the silhouette of her naked body underneath her purple silk baby doll. Rick watched her take the bottle of milk and drink directly out from it. He found it incredibly sexy. He stopped breathing when he saw a drop of milk slip from the corner of her mouth and slip down into her neck before it disappeared between her breasts. He couldn't help but gaze at her perfect tempting curves and swallowed hard as he eyed the two tiny bumps he could guessed underneath the soft silk of the fabric. He knew he had to look away and run, but he just couldn't move. He felt his heart beat faster as she let escape a moan. She had dropped some milk on the floor. He watched her put the bottle away and lean forward as she was trying not to spill some milk on herself. _Oh damn_. The blood that was in is brain rushed through his body…way down to the south. _Oh God. The vision of her body…_that was too much for him. He really had to get out of here. Fast. As he turned around to run away, he let escape a girl scream as he felt something moving suddenly brushing past his knees.

Kate suddenly straightened up and her head bumped into the door of the fridge.

"Damn it Royal! You scared me to death!" she whispered.

The golden retriever had entered the kitchen. He joined her and then started to lick the floor, attracted by the milk drops. Kate rubbed her hair and sighed, relieved, before she turned her head to the kitchen's entrance. Her smile faded as she saw the person standing right in front of her.

"…Castle?"

She turned away fast and closed the fridge, taken aback. She had already been in pajama in front of him before but what she was wearing tonight was way different and not really appropriate. All things considered, he had already seen her almost naked when some crazy guy had wanted to blow up her apartment but then again, the situation was different. She wasn't in her apartment now, and she had done inappropriate things, wearing an inappropriate outfit.

Rick was feeling awkward as well. He had grabbed a kitchen roll as fast as he could and was now holding it in front of his crotch, trying to sound natural.

"Um…hey," he said, trying to look anywhere but the young detective's chest. "Sorry, I didn't mean to frighten you, I…I…thought everybody was asleep."

"I…I was thirsty", Kate managed to say, trying to justify herself too. "So I came here and opened the fridge and…"

"And you forgot to use a glass", Rick finished her sentence.

Kate's eyes widened and she blushed like a little girl caught in the act.

"But don't worry," Rick said. "Just make yourself at home here, whatever you wanna do, just… don't bother," he said to make her feel comfortable.

She nodded and slightly smiled as she crossed her arms around her chest to regain her composure.

"If you want to drink from the bottle, eat in your room, jump on your bed with your shoes on…" he said, making her laugh.

"Walk in the hallways half naked…"

She stared at him, opening her mouth. Castle stopped for a second before he stammered. "And…I think I said it aloud" He cleared his throat before he added: "And I better shut up, now."

Feeling her cheeks on fire, Kate just dropped her eyes to Royal who was still licking the milk on the floor.

"Give me some kitchen roll", she said as she lent her hand forward without looking at him, in order to change the subject.

"Um…I don't think it's a good idea," Rick said nervously as he shook his head, trying to find an excuse.

"Don't be silly Castle, milk is bad for dogs, we have to clean it all before he gets sick. Royal, no, stop", she ordered the dog who wouldn't listen to her.

"Nah, it's okay, don't bother. Here, you see? He drank it all, it's too late," Castle said as he pointed the floor.

Royal licked his chops and raised his head to them, glad he could help cleaning the kitchen. Then he managed his way to the door and disappeared into the darkness.

"Well…well…I guess I should get back to sleep," Kate said as she smiled awkwardly. She took a step forward but when she walked past him, she suddenly felt he was grabbing her arm. She stopped breathing.

"Kate…" he said, with a husky voice.

She slowly raised her eyes to him, their faces so close to each other, getting even closer. She could feel his warm breath brushing her lips. She instantly felt the urge to taste his. Right now, right here. _Oh God_, w_hat was happening to her?_

"Rick…"

The dazzling light interrupted them suddenly, bringing them back to reality, and they stepped back from each other as if both of them had received an electric shock.

"Darlings, aren't you sleeping yet?" Martha asked, in a sleepy voice, unaware she had interrupted something big. "Don't bother, I was just looking for a glass of water", she said, her eyes half-closed as she grabbed the bottle on the counter, still not paying attention to them.

Kate took the opportunity to run away. She managed to say a last "good night" before she rushed out like a thief. Rick watched her go and told himself it was time for bed for him too. Their moment of almost kissing had been interrupted. Maybe it was for a good reason.

He wished his mother a good night and walked to the stairs. As he walked past Kate's closed door, he could see the light of her nightstand was still on, before it switched off quickly.

He finally reached his room and jumped on his bed with a heavy sigh, as he thought of how hard it would be to find some sleep tonight…

_...to be continued_


	9. Chapter 9

**Hi everyone! Yes, here's the next chapter! Thank you for your feedbacks and your comments. They are really appreciated. Hope you'll enjoy your reading. xxx**

* * *

A beautiful spring sun was illuminating the sky of the Hamptons, on that Saturday of May. It was around 2 o'clock in the afternoon and still, the small group was gathered at the big wooden garden table for breakfast.

"Would you like another croissant?" Martha asked her son and Javier Esposito, sitting in front of her, as she offered them the basket.

"No thanks", Esposito managed to say, his mouth full. "I'm going to gain 10 kg."

"You'll lost them in the pool", Rick teased as he grabbed one of the croissants. Sitting next to him, Royal was watching every of his moves, hoping for a reward.

"Look at him," Rick said with a smile as he gave him a piece of croissant.

"Stop giving that dog anything and everything, Rick, he's not a trash can!"

The voice was coming from behind. Kate Beckett and Lanie Parish were approaching, wearing their bikinis and a pareo wrapped around their waists. They were coming back from the pool. Rick gazed at the beautiful detective, her rangy silhouette and her long drenched hair that was balancing on her shoulders. It reminded him that time when he had seen her coming out of the pool when they were in LA, almost a year ago.

"And shut your mouth, even Royal drools less than you", she added with a half smile as she patted Castle's shoulder. Then she walked around the table and took a seat between Alexis and Lanie.

Rick shut his mouth and swallowed hard, still eyeing on the young woman despite her verve.

"So, wasn't the water too fresh this morning?" Martha asked.

"It helps waking up", Lanie replied as she grabbed a toast.

"You should go and swim too, dad. You're getting older, and so is your belly", Alexis recalled, sitting next to her grandmother. She was casually peeling an orange and Rick stared at her, in shock.

"Wh…? You think I'm getting fat?" he said in concern, as he put a hand on his belly.

"Well, you're not the only one", Lanie reacted as she stared at Esposito with a smile. Sitting next to Kate, the medical examiner was filling another cup of tea. Javier met her eyes and stopped chewing his croissant.

"So what, is that a problem?" he asked as he shrugged.

"Sure no, honey", she said as she tried to focus on her tea. "I'm just saying, if you still want to have success among young waitresses…You better be careful, you're not that young…"she added as she took a sip of tea.

"Yeah sure, everybody cannot be as young and handsome as…what was his name? Jake?"

Lanie rolled her eyes but Esposito kept going.

"At least, I don't hide my brain in my muscles", he said, annoyed, as he looked away.

Lanie raised an eyebrow.

"Oh really? Then where is it? I'd like to know."

"Guys…" Kate snapped as she gave them both a disapproving look. They were fighting, again.

"I'd rather not answer in front of all these people right here…" Esposito said, ignoring Kate.

"Yeah. Not in front of my innocent daughter please", Rick added discreetly.

"Dad, I can hear you", Alexis said.

"Well, I'd like you to close your ears when these two are arguing" he said as he glanced at Espo and Lanie.

They shared a look, offended.

"So what? We don't have the right to fight anymore?" Lanie said, amused.

"I'm eighteen!" Alexis claimed as well, offended that her father was always treating her like a child.

"So what? You want to know what I did when I was eighteen?"

He stopped, glancing at her mother who gave him the eye.

"I better not tell you, actually", he ended quickly.

"No you don't", Martha nodded.

Kate smiled.

"Well, I would have liked to meet you when you were 18, Castle…" she teased. He glanced at her and gave him a warm smile.

"I would have liked it too, Beckett. For your information, I would give anything to know more about your teenage years…would you like some milk in your coffee?" he asked as he lent her the milk pot.

He couldn't help smiling as he thought about their nighttime encounter the night before and Kate was a little upset by the way he was now looking at her…She perfectly knew what he meant and wanted to slap him for grinning and gazing at her that way. She just tore the milk pot off from his hands and replied nothing…She was too ashamed.

While Alexis was busy with her orange, Kate with her coffee and Esposito and Lanie were fighting in silence, the happiest couple of New York interrupted them all.

"Hello kids!" Kevin Ryan said happily, holding hands with Jenny. He was wearing a grey short pants and a white cotton shirt, while Jenny was wearing a nice black dress with white polka dots.

"Hey, finally, lovers who don't fight, what a relief," Castle said, as Lanie and Esposito gave him the eye.

"Did you sleep well?" Castle asked, grinning.

"Not enough!" Jenny replied, smiling as well.

"Yeah, it was too short!" Kevin added.

"Thank you guys for the details, we're having brunch here," Esposito said, which made Lanie smile.

"That's not what you think it is, Javi!" Jenny claimed, blushing.

"It's true, I didn't hear anything last night", Kate teased as she took a bite of her toast. Lanie smiled hearing the joke and nudged her friend.

"No, the fact is, if I had listened to my wife, we would still be in bed", Kevin explained as he gazed at Jenny lovingly.

"I couldn't get up…still wanted to sleep", Jenny sighed as she leaned on her husband's shoulder. "We sleep so well here!"

"Well, this is the countryside my dear", Martha nodded. "Come here, take a seat," she offered. Kevin and Jenny sat between Esposito and Martha, at the end of the table.

"Coffee, bro?" Esposito offered his buddy.

"Yes please," Ryan nodded as he lent him his cup.

"Jenny?"

"No thanks, Javier", she declined politely. She wasn't quite awake yet.

"So, what do you guys want to do on this beautiful day?" Castle asked as he stretched and yawned on his chair.

"Something enjoyable, but not tiring", Kate replied.

Rick looked at her.

"I'm thinking about something definitely enjoyable for you, Kate…but I don't think it's not tiring…OUCH!"

Kate's foot had just kicked his leg under the table.

"Can you please stop kicking me? I was talking about tennis!" he claimed. "Let me remind you I have a private court, in the backyard."

"How could I forget", Kate replied.

"Oh, tennis? I'm in!" Kevin said enthusiastically. "Did you know I was called the Irish Bjon Borg in high school?" he added with a smile.

"Bjon Borg was Swedish", Esposito chuckled.

"Exactly, that's why I said Irish. I know he's Swedish, who do you think you're talking to?" the Irish said.

"Kate, are you in?" Castle asked, letting Espo and Ryan argue like two kids.

"Mm…why not", she said with a smile. "Whether he's the Irish Bjon Borg or not, I'm sure I'll make you eat some balls, Kevin" she added.

"Oh I can't wait to see that, Beckett", he challenged her.

"Eat balls? Isn't it…gross?" Esposito interrupted as he glanced at Kate. Kate rolled her eyes and shared a look with Lanie.

"Your delicacy is touching, Espo."

"See what I had to endure everyday in the past?" Lanie whispered to her friend. Kate smiled and glanced at detective Esposito again.

"Anyway, I'll make you bite the dust too," she added. Javier laughed.

"Don't make me laugh," he chuckled. "You'll leave the court crying," he challenged her as he cleared his throat.

"Yes, tears of joy," Kate retorted as she stared at him defiantly.

"Lanie, do you want to see that?" Castle asked the M.E.

"Oh, no thanks."

"What…Are you afraid I'll make you sweat, Doctor?" Esposito teased her with a charming smile that Lanie ignored.

"No, I just prefer Royal's company", she answered, smiling at him sarcastically. Javier's smile faded.

"Speaking of whom, I was planning to take a walk in the forest with the dog. Lanie, wanna join?" Alexis asked.

"Sure honey," Lanie smiled.

"Oh, a girl's date…you're going to talk about boys, fashion and make up?" Rick guessed as he gazed at his daughter tenderly.

"Nope dad," Alexis corrected. "Corpses, formalin and biology classes", she said, making her father wince. "I just can't wait!" she added, almost jigging on her chair and grinning at Lanie. Then she left the table with Royal who followed her closely, in order to feed him in the kitchen. Rick watched her walk away before he glanced at his mother. Martha shrugged.

"What did you expect? She's your daughter." The actress smiled.

"Jenny, wanna join us?" Lanie offered.

"Oh, no thanks," she declined. "I was thinking about reading quietly, on the terrace…"

"Well, I had the same idea, Jenny", Martha replied, smiling at her.

"Enjoy and take some rest my love, that's why we're here," Kevin said before he kissed her on the forehead.

"Yes I know, honey. But I'm going to miss you", Jenny replied with puppy eyes.

"I'll miss you too. Even more," Kevin said with the same tender voice, stroking her cheek.

"Not as much as me…"

"Oh yes I will…"

"You're so cute…" Jenny whispered before she captured his lips.

"Not as cute as you…" he managed to say, his lips against hers. They shared a few more kisses without any consideration for the others around them and Esposito winced, sharing a look with Rick.

"I don't know if it's the beer from last night or them, but I kinda want to puke", he whispered, placing a hand on his stomach.

"It's them, for sure." Castle said on the same tone.

"So, are we gonna play tennis or not?" Kate said as she clapped her hands so hard that Esposito and the two lovebirds startled.

"What, right now? I'm not completely awake yet…" Javier mumbled as he grabbed his head between his hands.

"Oh come on, do you have a hangover, detective Esposito?" asked Kate as she faked sympathy.

"No," he chuckled. "For your information, I can drink a lot, unlike some girls right here, detective Beckett."

"…are you talking about me?" the young woman asked.

"Is there another detective Beckett here?" he joked as he looked around him before he found her eyes again. "Don't you remember the New Year's eve party in the precinct, three years ago?"

"You guys put some vodka in my champagne that day!" Kate protested.

Kevin let out a laugh.

"Oh, true, we did…" he remembered as he shared a knowing look with Esposito.

"We put some rum too. Funny you didn't feel it," the latino added.

"Yes I did… The morning after," Kate mumbled.

Rick stood up from the table.

"All right guys. Enough with alcohol talk, or I'm going to throw up my breakfast on the table. We drank so much last night…"

Martha let down her fork.

"Richard, this kind of remarks is totally inappropriate," her mother said, disgusted. Rick ignored her and continued.

"This is the perfect time for a tennis match. So if we're four, Kate, what about teaming up with me and taking your revenge on these two clowns who dared getting you drunk three years ago?"

"As if you were shocked", Esposito smirked.

"I think it was a brilliant idea…" Rick whispered, grinning like a kid before he stopped as Kate gave him the eye.

"But I'm still shocked", he corrected.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah, sure" Kate sighed, still amused though.

"Come on Beckett, we're going to kill them", Rick added in excitement.

The beautiful brunette stood up as well.

"All right, I don't have any other choice for partners anyway…Do you have good ratings at least?" she asked as she crossed her arms. He let out a laugh.

"If I have good ratings? Me? Rick Castle? I've been more than 50 times Best Sellers number one, my dear," he replied proudly, putting a hand through his hair.

"I was talking about tennis, Einstein", Kate replied with a sigh.

"Ah," Rick winced, avoiding the question. His smile faded and he bit his lips. Kate rolled her eyes.

"Okay, I got it. I'll do the job for the two of us, as usual," she said as she walked away.

"As usual?! Hey!" he protested as he watched her walk away.

"I gotta change my clothes!" she said as she kept walking to the manor.

"Wait! We need to talk about strategy!" he added as he ran after her.

"Strategy." Esposito repeated as he chuckled. "Oh please."

"See you later, baby", Kevin whispered to Jenny as he stood up.

"Have fun, boys", Martha smiled.

Esposito stood as well, tossing his towel on the table as he glanced at Lanie who was still sitting in front of him.

"Are you happy now, Lanie? I'm going to do some sport…Apparently, according to someone here, I need to lose weight," he mumbled.

Lanie's words had offended him and she knew it perfectly. She smiled though. She stood and walked around the table to face him. He watched her approach him, gazing at her bikini top, her nice pareo and her long hair that was balancing over her caramel skin. She wasn't wearing any makeup that morning. But she absolutely didn't need it.

"Oh yes I'm proud of you," she replied with humor before she touched his torso and leaned on him. At first he thought she was going to kiss him on the lips, but then she moved towards his cheek and his ear.

"You know what? From what I saw last night…there's still hope for you", she whispered sensually to his ear on purpose. He could feel her warm breath brushing his lobe's skin.

Javier swallowed hard, shivering, and stared at her without blinking as she stepped back. She gave him a warm smile before she poked his cheek softly.

"Have a nice match, detective", she added before she walked away, heading to the kitchen's door. He watched her go, gazing at her curves, grinning like an idiot, a la Kevin Ryan. He understood he had an effect on her the night before, when they had met in the bathroom. Maybe as much as she had on him, God knows how much. He watched her slip into the house, and couldn't help smiling at the thought. Maybe things weren't completely over between the beautiful Lanie Parish and him.

.

_...to be continued_


	10. Chapter 10

**Hello guys. Thank you so much for the feedbacks and reviews. Here's the new chapter. Hope you'll enjoy the tennis match ;) Oh, and soon, the "atmosphere" will be quite different...haha. :o Just be prepared! ;) xxx**

* * *

Kevin Ryan sighed heavily. Again. And not for the last time.

"Nope. It's out, again!" Kate Beckett shouted, wearing a pretty rather short sporty white skirt – and a top tank that matched perfectly, on the opposite side of the court. Indeed, the ball Esposito had sent had fallen out of the white square. Very far away. Kevin turned to his partner and gave him a killer look.

"Your fifth double fault on this game...Seriously?!" he barked.

"Sorry, bro", Javier managed to say, touching his racket frenetically to regain composure. "I just can't focus," he whispered, hoping he would understand. But Ryan shook his head resolutely.

"You're not going to tell me again it's because of what Lanie told you earlier?"

"Man, the girl literally turned me on!" Esposito claimed, still upset. "If you had seen her…She touched my cheek…Besides, when I think of what happened last night in the bathroom…"

He didn't finish his sentence and Ryan looked at him, skeptically.

"There are things going on in that house…But I don't know if I want to know more about it actually…" he said, still looking at his friend with suspicion. Javier rolled his eyes.

"Nah, nevermind."

The Irish let out a laugh.

"Yeah. That's it. "She touched my cheek" Kevin mocked him, imitating his gesture. "I can't believe you're making fun of me and Jenny," he said.

"Don't you dare making the comparison, you little sugar," Esposito warned him, pointing his finger.

"Little sugar sure knows how to serve at least," Ryan retorted.

Javier sighed heavily, annoyed.

"Hey, listen…"

He stopped immediately as his eyes were caught by something right in front of them, a few meters away from the court. Something or…somebody. Curious, Kevin looked at the same direction to see what had caught his attention. Well, it wasn't really a surprise.

Lanie and Alexis, as well as Royal that Alexis was holding on a blue leash, were crossing the garden. They were about to go for the walk they were talking about earlier, in the woods. They seemed to be in the middle of a big conversation and Lanie was laughing out loud, probably because of something the young red haired girl had just said. Detective Esposito stared at them as they kept talking and walking away. He gazed at the tanned silhouette he loved, and especially that smile that always made him feel so weak and hypnotized that it was embarrassing.

"Here you go again…" Ryan chuckled as he shook his head.

"…What?" Esposito said after a few seconds, trying to focus on his friend.

"Nothing. Seriously, what did I do to deserve such a lousy teammate," he sighed as he scratched the back of his neck. Esposito frowned, offended.

"Hey, Irish Bjon Borg, what are you waiting for to catch up the score if you're that talented?"

"Well, I can't do everything on my own, Javier. You're useless on this court. And that little stupid smile on Castle's face is seriously starting to piss me off", Kevin said as he stared coldly at his opponents on the other side of the court.

Kate and Rick were giggling like kids as they studied the two detectives from their position.

"I can feel some tension from our rivals out there. That's a good sign," Rick smiled. Kate was also grinning, jigging and holding her racket.

"I have to admit you played well, Castle", she said as she jigged to keep warming up. Her movements made her long ponytail wave. She was also wearing a white headband and sweatbands around her wrists. Like a real tennis woman.

"Not as much as you", he said with a charming voice.

"I know", she said proudly.

"We're a good team, even at tennis…" Rick noticed. "You know, we should probably find some other fields we're good at, don't you think?" he added, almost sure he would get a racket hit for this remark. But surprisingly, Kate smiled and moved closer to him, playing sensually with the handle of her racket.

"Mmm…why not…what are you thinking about?" she whispered, a few inches away, as she started to play with the buttons of his polo. Rick swallowed hard as he didn't expect such a reaction except for in his dreams. Kate's eyes were teasing and sensual, and he tried hard not to lean on her and capture her lips right now.

"I…" he stammered, lost in her eyes and his lustful thoughts.

"Yes, you…?" she whispered as well, her warm breath brushing the writer's lips.

"When you guys finish giving puppy dog eyes to each other, maybe we can keep playing?" Kevin Ryan's voice interrupted, snapping them out of their reverie. Kate stepped back slightly from Rick who didn't move, still under her charm. Then he slowly turned his head towards Ryan who had come closer to the net.

"Somebody's grumpy on the other side…" Kate teased as she challenged Ryan.

"You shut up and take your position", the Irish said as he stepped back from the net.

"Oho. Somebody's a sore loser", Rick said, trying hard not to laugh as he looked at Kate from the corner of the eye.

Ryan didn't react and walked away, irritated.

"However, I can understand why he's mad. I know what it is to have a klutz as a partner."

Rick's smile faded as he glanced at her. How could she say something like that after what she just did a few seconds earlier?

"Why so much hate?" he asked sadly.

"Spare the rod and spoil the child, Castle", she replied as she grinned at him before she headed to the back of the court. She even winked as she walked past him, holding her racket. Rick gazed at her silhouette as she took her position, before he looked back at the net and held his own racket strongly to let go his frustration.

"You must be crazy about me, then," he said in a low voice as he waited for Esposito to serve the next ball.

Standing behind him, Kate had heard everything. She softly smiled as she gazed at his back.

_If only he knew…_

The ball had been served quickly and with more precision this time. Kate tried to catch it in time but she couldn't reach the little yellow ball before it hit the ground again.

"Vamos!" Javier Esposito shouted as he clenched his fist victoriously.

"Did you see that? Did you see this perfect ace?" he asked his partner who was standing next to the net. Kevin smiled and walked towards him, before they gave a high five.

"Not bad at all. But it was your first one, so don't brag too much."

"Not bad?! Come on! It was awesome!" Javier claimed, smiling. "Hey, tell me…Did Lanie see it?" he whispered to Kevin, trying hard not to grin. Detective Ryan looked at him and shook his head.

"I don't mean to hurt your feelings bro, but she already left 10 minutes ago."

"What?!"

Esposito looked around, the garden was empty.

"Oh. Damn, I can't believe I hurt my back on this service for nothing," he mumbled, disappointed, as he slowly walked back to the end of the court. Kevin had heard him and turned to him, grumpily.

"Hey! You mean you only did that to impress a girl who doesn't even look at you?"

"Yes she does!"

"She's not even here anymore!" Kevin mocked him.

"It's just a tiny little detail", Javier replied.

"Guys, are you playing or what?! We're waiting!" Kate Beckett called impatiently from the other side of the court.

...

The temperatures were getting cooler in the Hamptons. Lanie Parish lifted up the zipper of her black jogging suit that matched her curves perfectly and replaced her hair behind her back before she started walking.

Alexis and the M.E had decided to breathe some fresh air away from the property and enjoy the quietness of the surrounding woods, now they had become close friends. They had been walking for more than one hour now and Lanie had stopped a minute to look around, even if there was nothing special to see. Only green, bushes, big trees as far as her eye could see. A few steps ahead, Alexis was walking briskly, followed by the golden retriever who was happily trotting, sniffing out the bushes from time to time.

"Hey oh, slow down there," Lanie called the red haired young girl as she was distancing her. "Wait a second!"

Alexis slowed down her pace and called Royal before she turned to her friend.

"Am I too fast for you?"

Lanie caught Alexis again and breathed heavily.

"Don't forget I'm not as young as you, girl. Despite that stunning body", she added with humor as she pointed her waist.

Alexis smiled. "You can be proud. I hope I'll look like you at your age."

"Oh no, believe me honey, you don't. These girls sometimes hurt my back like hell…" Lanie said as she pointed her chest. "But I have to admit sometimes they're helpful in some awkward situations."

"What do you mean?" Alexis asked as she raised an eyebrow. Royal was sitting at her feet, a branch in his mouth, waiting for someone to play with.

"I don't know if I should tell you…oh nevermind. Once, I was late for a date. My car wouldn't start up and I was already thirty minutes late. Anyway. Finally I could start it up, and I was on the road and the traffic was hell. So I was driving, and suddenly, wham, I heard a loud siren behind me, I glanced at the rear mirror…it was a cop. And he was after me."

"Oho", Alexis said.

"Yes, I didn't know at first. So I played the nice girl, I parked. And then I saw the cop get out of his car with his notebook in his hand. I got it. I don't know why but I was sensing he was going to fine me."

"What happened next?"

..

_The officer headed to Lanie's little blue car and leaned on the window._

"_NYPD, hello", the officer said._

"_Hello. Is there any problem?" Lanie asked shyly._

"_Yes there is M'am. You didn't stop at the yellow light right there. Didn't you see it?"_

_Lanie's eyes widened, confused._

"_Did I? Oh I am so sorry, I didn't notice it."_

"_Well, I did", the policeman said sharply. "Insurance and driving license, please."_

_The medical examiner bit her lips and turned to the passenger seat where her bag was put. Dammit. She was sure she paid attention though. Or maybe it was the end of the day and that officer was just overreacting and looking for extra money. She was thinking about it and suddenly she had a brilliant idea._

"_Where did I put them?" she stammered as she rummaged through her bag._

_The officer was looking around and tapping on the car's roof, impatiently._

"_I'm so sorry, my bag is such a mess. Ah, here they are!" she said as she turned back to him and lent her papers._

"_Hurry up, I don't…"_

_The officer had grabbed the papers and lowered his eyes. He swallowed hard and after five seconds of silence, he glanced at the papers and gave them back to Lanie._

"_Well. Er…it's okay for this time."_

"_Can I go now?" Lanie asked innocently._

"_Yes, but be careful next time, you may not find an officer as accommodating as me."_

"_Thank you so much, officer. You are adorable", Lanie said as she grinned at him._

_The officer smiled back at her, blushing._

"_All right, all right. Move along," he ordered as he tapped the hood of the car twice. "Have a nice day, miss."_

_Lanie gave him another smile and nodded before she started the engine. She had to bite her lips not to burst into laughter as she put the car in first gear. _

_.._

Alexis looked at Lanie, her eyes widened. She was amused and in shock.

"Seriously? You did that?"

The young brown woman burst into laughter. "Okay, all right. It wasn't glorious at the moment to unbutton my shirt before grabbing my papers in my bag, but hey, I was in a hurry, and it just came into my mind. Just a sweet madness. And I wasn't even sure it would work, I just tried!"

"Well, it paid! He let you go like that. I'm sure he didn't even read your documents actually!" Alexis said as she let out a laugh.

"I think so too! Oh you should have seen his face. At first he was being cold and all, and then when he saw my shirt half opened, he didn't know what to do! Well, at least he surely knew where to look!" Lanie laughed.

"Geez! I didn't know you were so flirty with public authority, Doctor Parish."

Royal let go his branch. He finally stood up and started to sniff around, waiting for the girls to stop chatting and play with him.

"Are you kidding me? I've already done way worse!" Lanie said as she rolled her eyes.

"I can imagine…Speaking of which, I mean, public authority…" the young Castle girl said as she raised her eyebrows.

Lanie looked at her suspiciously, wondering what she meant.

"Yeah, yeah, don't you play the innocent. Do you really think I didn't see you turning detective Esposito on during the brunch?"

"Who? Me?" Lanie faked innocence.

"Yes, you. Come on, tell me. I bet you guys have already played the officer and citizen game at the morgue," Alexis teased.

Lanie opened her mouth, in shock. "Alexis Castle! I didn't know you could be that insolent!"

"Come on! I'm not a little girl anymore! And you're avoiding the question!"

"I shouldn't let you play with formaline that much, I think it gives you hallucinations," Lanie said as she messed Alexis' hair. The young girl tried to step back and laughed.

They kept laughing, the sound of their voices echoing through the woods. Suddenly Royal interrupted them, rising up his ears, making a low growl.

Lanie turned to him, still smiling.

"What is it buddy? You're getting bored, listening to us?"

Royal looked at her before he turned his head to the woods, as if he was feeling something.

Alexis grabbed his collar, stroked his head and his neck softly to comfort him. He let her do so and Alexis felt his tension ease under her touch.

"There. It's okay", she said. "You know, there's always…"

"Shh…Did you hear that?" Lanie interrupted gently. She looked at the forest, her hands on her hips. _Did Royal feel something?_ In general, dogs always sensed a presence or something moving.

Lanie realized they had been gone for more than one hour without paying attention, and now these woods that had been so quiet and peaceful until now sounded too quiet for her. _Way too quiet._ She saw some bushes move. She turned her head to the left. A branch had cracked. Was it the wind?

"Lanie…?" Alexis softly called, interrupting her.

"Hmm?" she said without looking at her, her eyes still studying the woods.

"You know, this is quite a wild nature here. So if you hear some branches cracking, it must be an animal or something."

"Hm…" Lanie answered, still confused. She thought she saw a fern moving and turned her head quickly in its direction.

"Lanie…" Alexis called again, waiting.

The medical examiner finally looked at her.

"Yes?"

"You should see your face, you look so scared, it's quite funny", she said, grinning.

Lanie shook her head, trying to control her emotions in front of the young girl who was looking at her, amused. After all, Alexis was right; she was just imagining things.

"You must be right," she finally said, trying to stay rational. "Maybe it's nothing."

"I'm always right", Alexis teased as she raised her head up. "Oho, we better go home now. I just felt a raindrop falling."

Lanie looked up to the sky that had become cloudy and threatening. They still had a long walk to do before going home. Once again, the teenage girl was right.

"Okay, let's go", the medical examiner said as she put her jogging hoody on her head and put her hands in her pockets.

Lanie Parish, you're a scientist and a professional for God's sake. A tiny rustle shouldn't freak you out like that, she told herself as they were heading back to the manor.

.

_...to be continued_


	11. Chapter 11

**Hello people! I know, I know, long time no see... :/ I'm so sorry for not updating before. Busy times… But I promise I'll do my best to update more often! Here's the next chapter, it's quite long. I hope you'll enjoy your reading! Thanks in advance for your patience and your feedbacks. :) xxx**

* * *

It was nearly 5 o'clock in the afternoon. The weather had become gloomy, and the morning with a perfect blue sky was definitely gone. Now the sky was dark grey, full of threatening clouds. A storm was about to hit and one could hear the thunder from time to time. The wind was starting to blow and the trees around the property were slowly balancing, as the first raindrops started to hit the bay windows of the living room.

Because of the stormy weather, the small group of people had stopped their outside activities and decided to take refuge in the manor and stay warm. Royal was sleeping on an old rug that Alexis had specially found for him next to the terrace, sometimes moving his hind leg, as he was probably dreaming of a rabbit he was chasing.

Kate, Alexis, Martha, Jenny and Lanie were gathered on the sofa in front the television and eating popcorn.

"Oh, I love that moment", Alexis said as she grinned, watching the television. She was comfortably sitting on the sofa next to Martha.

"Me too", detective Beckett approved, sitting next to them. "Jayden's proposal to Ella always makes me crumble", she admitted as she placed a hand on her heart.

"I understand why", Martha nodded, with the same romantic look in her eyes.

Slouching on the other sofa with Jenny, Lanie frowned as she swallowed some popcorn.

"I thought he didn't propose until season 8?" she asked as she glanced at Kate.

"Actually he already suggested the idea in season 6. But they had some frictions and broke up", Martha explained as she took a bite of popcorn.

"Oh", doctor Parish replied as she couldn't help glancing at Esposito discreetly who was playing chess with Castle a few meters away. Unfortunately, he raised his eyes at the same moment and they shared a look. She lowered her eyes to her bowl of popcorn as fast as she could and cleared her throat. Thank God her caramel skin was hiding her blushing.

"That proposal is cute but I have to admit I've always shipped Ella and Aaron. There was a thing between us…" Jenny said.

"I agree…And Aaron was hunky", Lanie nodded as she gave the blond girl a knowing look. Jenny and the medical examiner gave a high-five.

"Amen. I remember I dated a stupid guy in university only because he looked just like him", Jenny chuckled.

Ryan rolled his eyes, hearing the boring girls' talk as he was reading a magazine, sitting at the counter of the kitchen. He shook his head as he stared at Jenny in particular. He couldn't believe his wife would be able to do such a superficial thing before.

"Yeah, but they kept so many secrets from each other…Besides, they never found the good moment to get together, so they were right to move on…"Alexis added as she nodded.

This time, Rick raised his eyes from the chess game. He found Kate's look. She hadn't missed the opportunity to look at him. She pretended to have something in her eye as she looked away. She was ashamed of being caught eyeing on him like that. Rick smiled softly as he looked back at his game, amused.

"Season 5 was wonderful though, when they got together", Martha said softly.

"True," Jenny replied grinning.

"The only thing I hated about that season is when Shawna died", Kate confided as she ate some popcorn.

"Oh yes, Shawna, poor girl…" Martha said.

"Indeed, dying like that, hit by a bus…they could have found something better to write her off the show", Lanie added with a sigh.

Ryan let out a laugh while Esposito and Castle shared a sad look.

"Seriously? Do they realize what they are talking about?" Javier whispered to the writer.

"I think that if they did, they would have shut up a long time ago", Rick replied with a smile.

"Oh, and speaking of Ella and Aaron!" Martha said. "For your information, girls…" she said in a low voice, looking at all of them. "They didn't want everybody to know it…but, you know, the actors, Rosie Edwards and James Darlington used to date for real, when they shared their first kiss on screen…" she revealed, grinning. She felt incredibly happy to share the secret.

Jenny's smile widened as she gasped with emotion.

"This is so romantic", she said, almost in shock.

"I can count on you girls, right? It's secret", Martha said as she raised her right hand.

"What a secret", Ryan smirked silently as he turned the pages of his magazine.

"My lips are sealed", Jenny promised, still overwhelmed by the news, as she took some popcorn from the bowl Lanie was holding. Kate rolled her eyes.

"All right, the truth is cute but, if you follow the screenplay, she's way lot happier with Jayden," detective Beckett said, persuasive.

Someone sighed heavily from the end of the living room. Once again, Javier Esposito raised his look to Rick who was sitting in front of him at the chess table.

"If you follow the screenplay?" he repeated, appalled. "Oh man, this is freakin ridiculous", he laughed as he shook his head. Rick let out a laugh as well.

"Don't laugh at them…It's not easy being a writer," he said as he moved a pawn.

"All right, I'd like to believe you, but still…Temptation Lane's season 7 in your DVD's collection, Rick…Seriously?" Javier said. Rick ground his teeth.

"Sorry…sometimes my mother feels nostalgic."

"Yeah, and now they're watching 8 episodes in a row and we have to hear them commenting and talking shit about who married whom, and who dated whom in real life…Please," Esposito mumbled as he moved his knight randomly.

"I'm not fond of it either," Ryan interrupted them as he took a seat between them. "So, who's winning?" he asked as he glanced at their chess game.

"It's Castle, I can't focus because of their talk…" Esposito sighed, irritated as he gave the girls the eye.

"Or I'm just better than you, I can't help it", the writer said proudly. "But I have to admit it's also hard for me to focus with their conversation."

"I don't get it…How can they watch something so stupid?"

Rick laughed.

"Come on guys, don't you remember WHO watched all the episodes with Nathalie Rodes?" he said as he glanced at them.

"It's completely different, bro. There, you had something to watch", Esposito chuckled. Rick smiled as well.

"Indeed."

"That girl is so sexy", Ryan added, thinking about it.

"Is she still on your list?" Esposito asked him, amused.

Ryan shook his head.

"Nope, it's over now…" he said in a disappointed tone, pointing at his wedding ring.

"That's why I don't ever wanna get married", Esposito laughed as he looked back at the chess game.

Ryan and Castle shared a knowing look. If Lanie wasn't against marriage, he would be certainly wearing the very same ring now, even if he would never admit it in front of his friends.

"Okay I quit, I lost anyway", Javier mumbled as he dropped its last pawn with a sigh.

"Oh, you quit?" Rick smiled. Esposito wasn't the type of guy who gives up though.

"Well, let's say it's a break. I let you a chance to win and we're even. Let me remind you how I humiliated you last night at poker", the detective replied as he stood up from his chair.

"Oh really? I must have drunk too much, I don't remember anything…" Castle teased.

Espo and Ryan smiled at each other.

"We both do."

"Yeah", Ryan nodded as he nudged Javier.

"I was tired", Rick complained before he glanced at the TV. "Alexis?" he called.

The young red haired girl turned to him.

"You wanna challenge your old father at chess?"

"Challenge…you mean kill?" she replied, making Kevin and Javier burst into laughter.

"I love your daughter. I wanna have the same one in a few years", Ryan smiled as he watched the girl walking towards them.

Alexis stepped towards them and crossed her arms.

"Are you sure you wanna challenge me?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Take a seat, girl", her father replied, motivated.

"Are you done watching this crap?" Esposito asked her suddenly.

"This is no crap," Alexis said as she sat. "And yes, I'm done, now that Jayden proposed Ella if you wanna know", she replied as she placed her pawns in position. Espo and Ryan shared a look.

"Actually we don't care at all," the Irish replied while his buddy tried hard not to laugh. Alexis gave them the eye.

"Seriously guys, you have no heart."

"Yes we have. And for your information, mine is only beating for a gorgeous green eyed blond girl so I don't have time for these stupid things", Ryan replied proudly.

"Wow, you're so romantic", Rick commented.

"The same for me…" Esposito nodded as he pointed at his best friend. "…Except for the gorgeous blond girl part," he stammered as he walked towards the sofa and television corner.

Martha had stood up from the sofa a few seconds earlier and was now behind the counter of the kitchen, having a drink before starting cooking. Kate, Lanie and Jenny were still on their sofas, talking about "Temptation Lane" to Javi's utter despair.

"Are you done now, can we watch TV?" he growled, interrupting them.

"Someone's in a bad mood…" Kate noticed as she challenged him. Espo jumped on the sofa and tore the remote off from her hands.

"Someone lost at chess?" Lanie guessed, faking concern.

"Poor thing", Jenny added, trying hard not to laugh.

"Whose fault is it, huh?" he mumbled as he gave them the eye. The three friends shared a look and burst into laughter.

"Ours, of course", detective Beckett teased as she stood up from the sofa.

"Sure", Jenny laughed as she rolled her eyes.

"You guys didn't stop talking about crap", he protested.

"Stop trying finding an excuse Javi. Castle is too good for you at chess, that's all", Lanie replied.

"That's true. Personally, I've never won against him," Jenny said.

"Me neither," Lanie nodded. Esposito glanced at the girls, pouting.

"Yeah…Lanie it's weird. You're a doctor. As for Jenny, well, it's normal, blondie." Esposito teased her, proud of his joke. Shocked, Jenny threw him a cushion.

Javier and Jenny liked each other. They haven't been always close or found discussions to share, but the more they had been seeing each other, the more they've been learning to know and like each other. Now, Kevin's best friend even dared tease and provoke her, sometimes bluntly. She was a quiet person, but she did have sense of humor and a quick-witted mind from time to time.

While Esposito threw another cushion back at Jenny, Lanie rolled her eyes and stood up from the sofa, letting them play their childish games. She left the sofa's corner and headed to Ryan who was still watching Castle and Alexis playing chess, smiling, as Alexis was already winning.

Lanie put a hand on her friend's shoulder and leaned to his ear.

"I think your supposedly best friend is about to steal your wife", she whispered to the Irish who turned back his head to them. Espo and Jenny were still fighting and laughing together. He smiled and glanced at Lanie.

"He can try."

Kate walked pass them and smiled at Ryan's remark, before she headed to the bathroom, at the bottom end of the living room. As she entered the room, she took the time to close the door behind her. Then she faced the window and watched casually outside. It was a small square window, above the bathtub.

She had casually glanced at the window, because it was the first thing she had found in front of her.

But then, Kate Beckett felt a shiver down her spine as she stared at what was behind that window out there, in the heavy rain.

The bush she could see from the window, behind the house, at the edge of the woods surrounding the property…the bush had moved. She was sure of it. Actually, it hadn't moved by itself. Some kind of silhouette -she wasn't sure exactly of what it was, but a dark and blurry shape had moved and rushed into to the bushes before it disappeared into the woods. Kate stepped further carefully, hoping she would find an answer to that simple question. What was that?

She was a cop. She shouldn't be scared for nothing. But still, that shape she couldn't identify had surprised her. Her first impression was that the shape was too big, too slender to be an animal. For Kate, it was certainly a human being.

But maybe she was wrong.

Frowning, the brunette woman thought about what she saw, again and again. But it wasn't clear at all. She stepped back and decided to exit the bathroom, forgetting completely why she had came her in the first place. When she arrived at the living room, Martha who was busy cooking an apple pie behind the kitchen's counter was the first who noticed how disturbed she seemed.

"Kate, honey, are you all right?" she asked.

"You're so pale", Ryan added as he studied her, next to Lanie who stared at her best friend as well.

"No, I'm okay", Kate stammered, distractedly. "I think I saw…" she didn't finish her phrase and pointed the bathroom. "I think I saw something in the garden", she finally said as she searched for Castle's look.

As soon as she said that, they all heard the terrifying rumbling of thunder.

"Something?" Rick asked, concerned. Esposito stood up from the couch and stepped towards Kate, curious to know more about it. Jenny was also listening carefully.

"What do you mean?" Espo asked.

Kate shrugged.

"I don't know…a shape. Some kind of silhouette…Maybe it was nothing, though", she shook her head.

"An animal?" Lanie guessed.

"Maybe, yes", Kate nodded before she glanced at Castle.

"Castle, do you have any neighbors around?"

Rick shook his head.

"As far as I know, nope. The closest houses are at the entrance of Wainscott village, 10 km away from here. I chose the manor for its quietness", he answered. Detective Beckett winced, as she would have preferred another answer. Then she glanced at Ryan and Esposito.

"Guys, do you have your guns?"

"Nope," Ryan replied, surprised by her question.

"Sorry but when I'm on holiday, I don't really need it you know", Esposito chuckled. "Do you have yours?" he asked Kate.

"I always have it under my pillow," she nodded.

"Well, good to know," Castle said to ease the atmosphere. Lanie had heard him and smiled.

"Come on Kate, do you really think we're gonna need a gun?" Ryan asked suspiciously. He couldn't imagine something could ruin their great weekend.

"I don't know…that thing…"

She couldn't finish her sentence.

"I'm sure it was just a stroller, honey", Lanie interrupted her, trying to comfort her.

"A stroller, who ran away from the garden of a private property?" Kate retorted as she stared at Lanie. The medical examiner shrugged.

"Maybe that person realized he or she was in the wrong way and just turned back…" she guessed, trying to stay rational. There was always a logical explanation for doctors. Kate didn't reply but still, she wasn't convinced at all.

"Hey, I've got a weapon!" the writer remembered suddenly. All eyes were on him.

"Seriously?" Esposito asked.

Castle stood up from his chair and walked towards the wooden chest, near the dining room. He opened the drawer and took a small gun before he lent it to Kate.

"There's no one around here…so I feel safer, knowing I've got that thing in the house."

Kate grabbed the gun and studied it. She checked the charger and the trigger.

"Do you have security cameras too?" she asked as she raised her look to him.

"Sure…I mean…no."

Kate frowned and Rick decided to explain.

"The system is down due to technical malfunctions or something. Anyway, I didn't have time to fix it yet."

"Great", Kate sighed.

"Stop it, you're starting to scare me", Martha interrupted as she left the kitchen counter and stepped towards them.

"Kate, you don't think that…"

Martha couldn't finish her sentence as the fuse blew out suddenly. The little group froze, as they were now in the dark, while they kept hearing thunder rumbling. It was so loud that Royal woke up. Jenny startled on the couch, and immediately searched for her husband's reassuring gaze, who was still standing next to Lanie Parish.

The night hadn't completely fallen yet but it wouldn't be long. It was dark enough so that the people in the manor could barely see each other's face in the room.

_...to be continued_


	12. Chapter 12

**Hello guys! :) Wow, a quick update! What's happening to me? lol Well, your feedbacks made me want to hurry and post faster than usual :D So here is the next chapter. Hope you'll like it! Thanks to all of you! xxx**

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"What was that?" Alexis said as she swallowed hard, still sitting at her chess table.

"Just power cut, honey", Lanie replied to comfort her.

"The fuse must have blown out because of the storm…I'll go to the basement, to check it out", Rick said as he grabbed his jacket.

"I'm going with you, Castle. I've got a super high tech flashlight in the car", Esposito added as he grabbed his keys on the console table.

"Thank God I have tons of candle lights…" Martha sighed as she started to search them out in the kitchen.

"Let me help you", Lanie offered as Jenny followed her a few seconds later.

When Rick opened the entrance door, his face was immediately drenched by the pouring rain. He blinked, as he didn't expect the weather to worsen that fast.

Royal suddenly rushed to his feet and then exited the house, running away in the direction of the woods.

"Royal!" Alexis called, concerned as she headed to the door. She watched him disappear into the forest, helpless.

The rain was pouring, the night was falling, and he was now completely out of sight.

"Dad, what's wrong with him?" she asked, worried.

"It's a dog, honey…He'll be back", his father reassured her, stroking her long red hair.

Then he stepped outside, followed closely by detective Esposito who closed the door behind him and Alexis who seemed desperate.

After they took the torch Esposito had left in his car, Rick and Javier headed to the manor's basement that was located underground but that they could only access from outside. There was the circuit breaker. Esposito was lighting up the path the best he could while Rick was leading the way. They had walked around the manor and were now standing in front of stairs, in the backyard. Some stone stairways leaded to the basement's door. It was a wooden door, drenched by the rain…and half opened. Rick frowned.

"What the…?"

He climbed down the stairs and leaned on the door's lock.

"What's wrong?" Esposito asked as he kept lighting up the way. Rick turned to him and pointed at the lock.

"Usually there's a padlock here, because I didn't have time to fix it yet…Whatever. The problem is, it's not there anymore, and the door was half opened."

"Are you sure about that?"

"Absolutely sure…" the writer nodded. Esposito took a deep breath. It wasn't the moment to freak out. Especially for him, as he was the cop here. So he just came closer to Rick and pushed the door. The wet wooden door creaked in a scary way. Javier walked ahead to light up the way and protect Rick in the worst case. But there was nobody.

When he found the circuit breaker, Esposito turned to Rick. This time, his look was more than serious.

"We've got a problem here, man?" he said, pointing at the circuit breaker. Rick came closer and raised his eyebrows.

He felt a shiver down his spine.

Yes they had a problem. The plastic box in front of them had burnt and melted, and there was an unpleasant smell of burnt detergent in the small space. Added to that, the few electric wires that were out of the box had been cut.

"What the hell…" Castle stammered, searching for Esposito's look.

/

In the mean time, Martha, Lanie and Jenny had placed some candle lights everywhere in the living room, where the small group was gathered. Ryan was stroking Jenny's hair, as she was tenderly nestling on him on the couch, while Lanie hadn't stopped cheering Alexis up since her adopted dog for the weekend had run away. Kate was pacing in the room, waiting anxiously for the boys to come back.

Esposito was the first to push the door. His face was drenched and his look was abnormally grave, which Lanie noticed immediately.

Right beside him, Castle's look was also serious. He closed the door behind him while Esposito glanced at his friends who were all concerned.

"So? What about the circuit breaker?" the Irish asked. "Still no electricity?"

"You guys look terrible", Lanie said after a few seconds as she stared at her ex boyfriend in particular.

Castle and Esposito didn't reply and glanced at each other.

"What's wrong?" Kate asked, looking at them. Their silence was unbearable.

"I think we've got a problem", Esposito managed to say as he glanced at Kate, then Kevin, and finally Lanie.

"What," detective Beckett asked, almost gasping. She hated how bad the events had turned. She hated their looks, the way they hardly spoke. She had felt it for long minutes. Something was wrong.

"I think the circuit breaker has been damaged intentionally," Castle explained then, instead of Esposito who was staring at Lanie.

"Damaged intentionally? What do you mean, Richard?" Martha asked in a worried tone.

"What are you talking about?" Alexis stammered as she frowned.

"It's burned, and the wires were cut", Rick replied as he stared at Martha. His look was deep, grave. Martha knew her son by heart. He never had that look.

"Burnt?" the red haired young girl asked as she came closer to her father. "Dad, are you sure it's not because of the thunder or…"

Rick interrupted her.

"I'm sure, honey. Plastic can't melt like that. It is not the thunder."

"I agree", Espo added. "This is a professional work. And we can't fix it. At least, not like that, not without tools…or new equipments."

"You gotta be kidding…" Kevin sighed, still in shock.

Kate ran a hand through her hair and started to pace again.

"I told you, something's wrong here…" she stammered. Rick looked at her. He would have liked to come closer, take her in his arms. But it was the wrong place and the wrong time for it.

Alexis felt a shiver down her spine.

"You think this has something to do with the silhouette you saw earlier?" Lanie asked Kate.

"I don't know", she replied in a barely audible voice as she bit her lips. "I'm just wondering…and now I'm pretty sure it wasn't an animal."

"It's horrible!" Jenny said, pale as ever.

"Don't worry baby, I'm sure there's a logical explanation for that", Ryan replied quickly as he took her hand in his. "Are you sure somebody damaged it on purpose?" he added as he glanced at Castle and Espo. His buddy nodded.

"No doubt, bro… but wait, there's something else," the detective added, more solemnly. All eyes were on him after that. They were all holding their breath. Even Rick could barely look at his family as he already dreaded their reaction to what Esposito was about to reveal.

"Before I tell you, I want you to promise you won't start to panic. As Ryan already said it, maybe it's nothing…" he added in strange serious tone that didn't look like him. Kevin stood up from the couch, concerned. He stared at his best friend, waiting for the news.

"Javier, what are you…" Lanie whispered. She couldn't finish her sentence and frowned.

"I didn't pay attention at first, when I took the flashlight in the glove compartment…but when we came back from the basement, then I realized…" Esposito started to say as he ran a hand on his cheeks. He was searching for the best way to announce it.

"Espo, spill it," Kate said impatiently, almost aggressive.

"The tires of my car, of our cars...They're flat. All of them", he finally said.

The news was a bombshell.

"All the cars?" Lanie asked. Javier nodded in silence while Kate searched in her pocket.

"We need to call the police", she ordered as she put her phone against her ear. But there was no signal.

"Dammit, why do I have no signal?" she growled, irritated.

"Calm down. Maybe it's nothing", Esposito said as calm as possible. He had certainly learned to stay calm in emergency situations from his former experience in the army.

"But maybe it is serious", Kate protested. "And why the hell can't I have any signal?"

"I didn't have any either outside. I already tried to call a repair man and the cops…" Espo replied as he shook his head.

"I don't have any signal either", Kevin added as he hung up his own phone nervously. "It was working before, right?" he wondered as he looked at them.

"Yes, there's a good signal here usually", Alexis said.

"Maybe it's because of the storm", Martha guessed.

"Whether it's the storm or not, I don't like that…" Lanie sighed as she started pacing as well.

"Listen, the best we can do for now is stop panicking…Maybe it's just a bad joke," Esposito tried to comfort his friends.

"Yes, if it's a joke, it's a very bad one. Really bad…Even yours are better, dad", Alexis added slightly, making some of the others smile softly.

"I'm glad you admit it", Rick replied.

"Seriously...Why would somebody break the circuit breaker and burst our cars' tires?" Martha asked, worried.

No one answered the question. They didn't want to, because all the elements put together leaded to the same bad conclusion.

"Simple, mother", Rick replied finally. He took a deep breath. "Someone who doesn't want us to escape…"

After Castle's announcement, a deafening silence fell upon the room.

.

_to be continued..._


	13. Chapter 13

**Hellooooo! Guys, you have no idea how much I love reading your comments. Really! Thank you so much for the support. Oh, and one more thing before I'll let you read. You need to know that when my buddy hell-and-bliss and I wrote the original story in French, we wanted it to be like a real movie or sort of, so we included music/sound links at some parts of the story when we posted it on the French forum. I'm not sure we can do the same here and give extra links on FFnet (or can we? if anyone knows, please tell me) Anyway, I'll just give you the Title and the Author of the music related to the part, so you can feel free to search on the web and listen to the music in question while reading. But really, you definitely should try, for more...let's say REAL SENSATIONS :D Okay, no more talking now, let's continue. Enjoy! xxx**

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"All right", Kate said a few seconds after Rick's scary speech. "No need to panic, Espo is right. Guys, we're gonna check around, outside, to see what's going on," she ordered as she glanced at Kevin and Javier. They both nodded as Kevin put is coat on immediately.

"I'm going to take my gun, upstairs", Kate added but when she started to walk towards the stairs, Rick called her back.

"Wait, Kate."

She turned around.

"I'd rather go with them, instead", he said. Kate's eyes widened.

"Rick, it's out of the question."

"Please!" he insisted. "Listen…" He grabbed her arm and whispered to her ear as he didn't want the others to hear him.

"I'm starting to freak out, and I'm scared for my mother and Alexis. I would like them to stay at home and be under police protection. You'll know how to protect them, better than anyone. And I'd feel better…Besides, with Esposito and Ryan, I'll be safe. We're just going to walk around and be back in a few minutes. Please."

His tone was convincing, as well as his gaze. Kate swallowed hard and finally nodded.

"All right, if you promise me you'll be careful", she whispered.

"I swear."

Kate sighed, convinced, before she looked back at Espo and Ryan.

"Guys, change of plan…Castle's going with you. He knows the surroundings, and if you need covering, he'll be more of assistance than me."

"Got it", Ryan nodded.

"And take that", Kate added, as she lent Rick's gun to Esposito. Javier took it and put it in his pocket. When Lanie watched him, her heart skipped a beat. When they used to be together, she had always hated to see him go, because sometimes she had the feeling that, like Montgomery, he would never come back.

So she came closer to him, shyly. He watched her do so, silently, as he grabbed the flashlight.

"Javi, I…" she cleared her throat and crossed her arms, before she raised her eyes to meet his gaze.

"Be careful", she simply said, as she couldn't say anything else. He smiled softly and stroked her cheek with the back of his thumb.

"Don't worry, chica", he whispered back. Then he walked towards the entrance door and she almost felt heartache as he had said nothing more.

"Dad, please be careful…" Alexis said as she hugged her father.

"I will, like always", he smiled.

"Richard, we're being serious," Martha added with authority.

"Don't worry…I'm sure it's nothing but a bad joke, alright?"

Alexis hardly nodded.

"Anyway, dad…if you can also find Royal…" she stammered as she bit her lips.

"I promise I'll find your puppy and bring him home," her father smiled as he kissed her on the forehead.

"Come on, we gotta go now, before it gets darker and the weather gets worse", Ryan said as he glanced at Jenny who was silently panicking, still sitting on the couch. She looked really pale…Kevin came closer to her, lifted her chin with his thumb and kissed her softly.

"See you later, baby", he whispered as he ended the kiss. Jenny smiled sadly before she spoke again.

"Hurry up, honey", she whispered back. He winked at her and the three boys left the manor, letting the girls quite worried.

Kate waited for Ryan to close the door before she turned to Lanie and the others.

"While they're gone, you stay right here, okay?"

They nodded as they didn't need to argue.

"I'll be back in a minute. I'll just bring my gun", she added as she started to climb the stairs.

Lanie slouched on the couch, next to Jenny, as well as Martha and Alexis. They were all silent. Taken aback, they just didn't know what to say.

/

_(**A/N : the following part should be read while listening to **Going Home, by John Murphy****)_

.

Kate arrived upstairs, feeling anxiety through her body in spite of her efforts to control it. She couldn't get how bad and fast the events had turned during their stay at the manor. All the memories from last night rushed through her mind. She could still remember the party, the fun they had, the moments they spent in the Jacuzzi, and that moment of intimacy she shared with Rick in the kitchen. She wished they hadn't been interrupted.

And now they got this latest news, this scary news coming out of nowhere. There she was upstairs in the big hallway of the manor, in the dark, because she had to take her gun. She didn't know if she really had to worry. The only thing she knew is that she didn't like it at all.

Walking fast, she headed to her bedroom's door and opened it without any hesitation. She pushed the switch button before she remembered electricity was down and sighed. She quickly looked around. The room was dark because of the late hour. Her bed wasn't made yet, her suitcase was still opened and messy on the floor, next to a chair where she had put her swimming suit from last night. She placed her hands on her hips and shook her head. She was making herself at home, perhaps a little bit too much for a guest since she was here. Finally, she shrugged as she thought she would find some time later to tidy the room. Anyway, she knew Rick wouldn't mind. Then, she sat on the bed and searched for her Glock in the drawer of the nightstand. When she found it and held it in her hand, she began to check it out as usual. She looked at the charger, weighed it up for a few seconds. She liked feeling the touch of the metal against her palm. It kinda made her feel safer. She was used to doing so since she had started her career at the precinct.

Suddenly, there was a dull noise.

She raised her head, in alert. Did she hear something?

_Knock._

That noise. Again. As if somebody had bumped into something. It was close. This time, it wasn't a dream.

Feeling her heart beating faster, she held her gun tighter. Her cop's instinct encouraged her to check it out. She stood up quickly and headed to the door, trying to remain as silent as possible. She slowly turned the knob and bit her lips, hoping it wouldn't creak.

There she was in the hallway, again. It was dark. Almost too dark. She thought how threatening it was, as if the few minutes she spent alone in her room had been long enough for the night to fall.

Get a grip, Kate. You're just imagining things. Don't let yourself be impressed by…

_Knock._

She heard the sound, again, louder this time. Nope, it wasn't her imagination. It was really close…she turned her head and had the feeling she had to check Rick's room. She held her gun tight and waited a few seconds before she walked slowly towards the door, her heart pounding in her chest. She dreaded to open the door and yet, she had to. So she would know. She took a deep breath and put her hand on the doorknob…

She waited one more second before she pushed the door with all the strength she had, pointing her Glock right in front of her.

Rick's room was empty. She checked the room quickly and found nothing in particular…except for the window, which was wide open. The blinds were constantly knocking on the wall because of the strong wind and the rain was pouring. Kate rushed to the window to close it before the rain would come inside the room. So that was it? That was the noise she heard earlier, just a stupid open window? You're crazy Kate…she told herself, half relieved it was nothing but her being paranoid.

But had she barely closed the window when she heard another noise, some kind of a chair someone had pushed. This time, it was coming from another room. And that was real.

Without wasting any more time, she ran to the hallway again. Breathing heavily, she frowned as she looked at the guest room in the end of the corridor, which was unoccupied. She could see a ray of light coming from the lowest part of the door. What made her shiver was the shadow she suddenly saw under the door. The shadow disappeared as quickly as it had come. As if somebody was in the room…

Kate stepped further, her knees shaking as she tried to control the stress that rushed through her whole body. She raised her Glock in her right hand and with the other one she turned the doorknob, anxious to know what was on the other side.

The door opened.

The white curtains, almost transparent, were balancing under the wind like sheet ghosts. The window had been opened, just like in Rick's room earlier. But that was not what scared her most. What scared her most were the rustling leaves right in front of her, one meter ahead. Kate slowly came closer to the edge of the window to try and see something. Her heart skipped a beat when she saw a moving silhouette run away in the dark. She wanted to scream but she couldn't make a sound. What was the point anyway? The silhouette was already gone now. She was terrified at the thought but there was no doubt now.

_Someone broke into the manor… _

_._

_to be continued..._


	14. Chapter 14

**Hi guys! A quick update today. Thank you so much for the reviews. As I said in the comments section, I changed the category of the fic, just in case. I wouldn't say it is a horror fic, but it is more than suspense for sure, and definitely not for kiddos lol I won't tell more, you'll see it in time. The following chapter is okay, don't worry, you can put your pillow away...at least for now muhahahaha :D Enjoy! xxx**

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Kate climbed down the stairs in a hurry and arrived in the kitchen. Lanie was in front of the sink, wiping her hands she just had cleaned, under the candle lights as the power was still cut. Kate glanced at the living room before she headed to her. Jenny, Martha and Alexis were still sitting on the couch and were trying to have a conversation to fill the void since the boys had left.

When Lanie saw Kate approaching, she couldn't help noticing her serious look.

"What's wrong?" she asked, worried as she put the wiper on the counter. Kate gently grabbed her by the wrist and leaned on her ear.

"Shh, not so loud please. I don't want Martha, Alexis and Jenny to hear us" detective Beckett started to say, as she leaded doctor Parish to the corner of the kitchen. Then she let her friend's arm go and looked at her deeply.

"I don't want to frighten them. I don't want you to freak out either, Lanie, but…"

"Save it, Kate Beckett", Lanie interrupted her impatiently.

"Someone was there, upstairs, Lanie. I've just seen someone leave", Kate revealed without blinking.

Lanie opened her mouth but couldn't say a word. Her eyes betrayed her, she was scared now. In her mind, Kate's words were nonsense.

As her friend didn't say anything, Kate spoke again.

"I don't know who it was, but I know he heard me walk in the hallway and escaped by the window."

"What the hell…" Lanie muttered as she ran a hand in her hair. She started to pace, breathing heavily.

"Are you sure about that?"

"Absolutely sure. I saw him disappear into the woods, the window was open…Now I'm convinced it was the same person I saw from the bathroom's window earlier."

"You think it's a man?"

Kate shrugged.

"Well, according to the silhouette, height and speed, I think so. And this man was upstairs, only a few minutes ago.

"…why?"

"If only I knew," Kate sighed.

"Kate, I don't get a damn thing of all this", Lanie said desperately as she shook her head. "A man you saw running away in the garden broke into the manor?" she repeated, wincing.

"I know that sounds crazy but…"

"But how did he get in there?" Lanie interrupted, lost. "And also, why would he break into people's house like that?"

Kate shook her head vigorously.

"I don't know yet, Lanie. But the window in Rick's room was open, and he was upstairs, I'm sure of that…I heard him. He jumped off the window as soon as I pushed the door and came into the room."

Lanie rubbed her face and closed her eyes, tired of the situation.

"I'm scared", she admitted as her voice trailed off.

"I know…I admit I'm scared too. But we need to stay strong for Martha, Alexis and Jenny, okay? I don't want them to know. It would get things worse for nothing."

After a few seconds, Lanie sighed heavily and nodded.

"Yes, you're right."

"Listen, while we wait for the boys to come back, I don't want any of us to go upstairs, okay? I closed the window, but since I don't know how he got into the house, I don't want anyone there. I'd rather have you on my watch in case of…well just in case we ever have an altercation with that person," Kate concluded as she didn't like the way she said it. She didn't even want to think about meeting that person.

"Got it, we stay right here", Lanie nodded resolutely.

"All right. It's going to be fine", Kate said with a smile as she stroke her friend's arm. Her smile didn't comfort Lanie at all though. She seemed lost in tracks, and still scared.

"Kate…What does the guy want from us?" Lanie asked in a whisper. She hardly raised her look to Kate's. She was afraid of the answer.

"Maybe nothing, " Kate answered. "You know, there is plenty of cuckoos everywhere, but maybe he's not bad. Maybe he's only some kind of a…joker," she said although she hardly believed that. However, she wouldn't show it to Lanie.

"But what if he's not only that? What if, actually, he is a bad person, what if he does want to hurt us and what if the boys never come back?" Lanie said suddenly.

Kate gave her a surprised look. She had never seen the strong and unbreakable Lanie Parish doubt that much.

"What? Of course they will!" the brunette said as she shook her head. "Lanie, why would you think that?"

Lanie sighed again and bit her lips.

"I just have a bad feeling… I don't understand why this man would break into the manor before he ran away if he had good intentions, and most of all, I'm scared for the boys who are…God knows where they are with that mysterious guy outside and…"

Kate interrupted her and grabbed both her arms.

"Lanie, calm down", she whispered with authority. "And stop imagining the worst. I'm sure there's a logical explanation for all this, and let me remind you the guys have a weapon. They left with Castle's gun. And whatever the explanation is, I can promise you they're gonna be fine", the detective concluded to comfort her. But that wasn't enough for the medical examiner who shook her head.

"How can you be so sure?" the brown girl said irritated, as she couldn't stay calm anymore. "Kate, we don't even know what's going on! All we know is a John Doe certainly slashed the circuit breaker and found a way to break into the house!" Lanie summed up with anxiety. "Do you find anything positive in that?" she added, looking at Kate. Usually she would. But this time, Kate didn't know what to respond. Lanie was right. There was nothing good in all this.

"What I'm sure of," Kate said softly to comfort her, "is that Esposito and Ryan are the best cops I know. You know it well too. They have self-control in this kind of situations and I trust them. I promise you they're gonna be okay. We all are gonna be okay."

Lanie bit her lips again as Kate let her arms go.

"Everything's gonna be fine, Lanie. We don't know what's going on, all right. But in my opinion, it's just a weirdo's bad joke, and we're gonna get him."

Lanie smiled sadly and nodded, still uncertain.

"I hope you're right…"

"Don't worry. You and Espo will be able to live happily ever after with your three children and by thirty years, we're gonna all laugh about that story."

Lanie chuckled, amused by her joke.

"Stop it…" she said, half smiling.

"It's not three but five children at least I want from him", she corrected, making her friend smile and look at her intensely.

"What." Lanie said, annoyed by her insisting look.

"Do you realize it's the first time you don't bash me with your usual "We're over"?"

Lanie tried to hide her grin.

"Let's say I'm slowly trying to reconsider things…" she said after a few seconds.

Kate grinned.

"I prefer that."

"All right, what about you?"

"What about me?" detective Beckett asked, raising an eyebrow.

"How many Castle juniors?" Lanie asked grinning, crossing her arms.

Kate rolled her eyes, chuckling.

"Here you're back."

"So, how many?"

Kate shrugged.

"I don't know…I haven't been thinki… What am I saying?" Kate interrupted herself as she frowned, making Lanie laugh.

"Ah…see? You too are reconsidering things."

"Not at all," Kate shook her head. "Come on, let's join the others in the living room," she added as she put her arm around Lanie's shoulder.

.

_to be continued..._


	15. Chapter 15

**Hi people! I haven't uploaded for awhile but today, here's the next, long chapter. Thank you for the feedbacks and enjoy your reading! (Oh, and for the second part, it is better to read it while listening to RainyMood and a special music I'll recommend you when it's time. You'll see! Well...if you want to, you don't have to but that's how Hell-and-Bliss and I imagined the ambience hihihi) Okay, now enjoy this crucial part! xxx**

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After a few long minutes staring at the bathroom's door, Lanie Parish decided to get up from the couch and headed to the bathroom. She knew Jenny had locked herself inside ten minutes earlier. She had rushed there after saying some kind of an excuse and she never reappeared. Her face looked so pale and exhausted that the medical examiner had looked at her with concern. Martha and Alexis were too occupied commenting a family album to notice the pretty blond girl had rushed into the bathroom.

But Lanie and Kate had seen her. Kate had let Lanie go and check on her, because she knew that as a doctor, Lanie was the best person to do something, in case of need.

"Jenny?" Lanie whispered as she knocked on the white wooden door.

"Yes?" a shaky voice answered after a few seconds.

"Are you okay? I'm worried about you…"

Lanie heard nothing but a moan and the noise of someone throwing up violently. She understood that Jenny was really sick and she was emptying her stomach.

"Jenny? Open the door…" she whispered, even more concerned.

The door half opened a few seconds later and Lanie understood Jenny let her in. She slipped into the room and locked the door behind her. When she turned around, she saw Jenny leaning on the bathtub, her face really pale and her eyes red because of the nausea.

"Are you alright?" Lanie asked shyly as she came closer.

Jenny nodded but her face told the opposite. Lanie grabbed a tissue from a box near the sink and lent it to Jenny who used it immediately to wipe her mouth.

"Are you worried because of all this?" Lanie wondered. "This" was the situation. The boys gone outside, the power cut, the tires slashed…And still, Lanie hadn't mentioned the incident upstairs. Kate had forbidden her to tell anyone about it.

"I know it may sound scary, Jenny, but I'm sure it's just a joke, you know. We're at Castle's after all, he knows some weirdoes and maybe it's just…"

"It's not that", Jenny replied softly as she fiddled with the tissue and interrupted Lanie's reassuring speech.

The brown girl placed a hand on Jenny's forehead to check if she had a fever.

"You're so cold. Have you been feeling sick for a long time?" she asked as she sat on the edge of the bathroom, next to Jenny, as she stared at her with concern.

"A few weeks, yes."

Her words made sense to Lanie. She remembered how tired Jenny had always been since the beginning of their stay, the way she had always refused to drink any alcohol, her aversion to the smell of coffee, her laziness… it was perfectly clear.

"Oh, I see," she said with a soft smile. "You're expecting a Kevin junior?"

Jenny let out a laugh.

"Or a Jenny junior", she said with a smile. Lanie stroked her arm, glad it was only that.

"Congratulations."

Jenny's smile faded.

"Thanks…" she whispered as her voice trailed off.

"You don't seem happy about it," Lanie noticed. Jenny raised her green eyes to Lanie's, worried.

"I'm scared, Lanie," the pretty blonde managed to say, her red eyes becoming teary as she spoke.

"Of what?"

Jenny waited before she replied, her lips shaking as well as her whole body.

"In my family, there were a lot of miscarriages the first months. My mom even lost a baby when she was my age, and I'm afraid the same story repeats itself. That's why I haven't told Kevin."

Lanie listened carefully every word her friend said. She raised an eyebrow as she heard Ryan's name.

"So he doesn't know yet…"

Jenny nodded.

"No. Because I've been sick as hell for weeks, and maybe, I'm going to lose it. I don't want to give him any false hope, you know?"

"Jenny, the first three months are the hardest", Lanie began softly. "All women get sick, and miscarriages are not necessarily hereditary. Of course, you can have family background, but it doesn't mean what happened to your mother will happen to you or the other women in your family."

"But it can", Jenny protested as a tear slipped down to her cheek. "And I'm terrified it might."

"Have you seen a doctor?"

"I saw my gynecologist two weeks ago."

"And what did she say?"

"She confirmed I'm two months pregnant and everything's alright, but…"

"No buts," Lanie interrupted her. "If you think too much, you're going to stress for nothing and there, you might have health troubles. You need to trust what your doctor told you. And I'm also sure everything's normal."

Slightly reassured, Jenny smiled and sniffed, wiping her wet cheeks with the back of her thumb.

"You think I should tell him?"

"It's up to you, if you feel ready or not. But I know Kevin and I'm sure he'll be the happiest man in the world. He loves you like a crazy, you know."

"I know…" Jenny smiled as she sniffed. "That's why I don't want to fail him."

Lanie caught her hand.

"Hey! You won't. Ever," she said. "Look at your wedding ring…He loves you in health or sickness, for better or worse, right? So if anything bad should happen to you, you'll get through this together, I'm sure. But it won't happen. Your pregnancy will be fine and even if you feel sick, it's normal. You'll see, everything is going to be fine. You'll have a perfect healthy baby, as beautiful as her or his parents."

Hearing her words, Jenny smiled at her.

"Thank you Lanie. You know, I love talking with you."

"I love it too," the medical examiner replied, grinning.

"Really? I'm always afraid you're still mad at me for…that night at the restaurant, when I…kinda got carried away", she said, embarrassed.

Lanie rolled her eyes.

"Oh don't worry about it, it's forgotten."

"How can you forget it? I made you guys break up!"

Lanie chuckled, amused by her words and her desperate look.

"No honey, we didn't need you for that. We broke up like two grownups."

"Because of marriage, then? Oh, I'm sorry if I'm being too intrusive."

"Because of many things," Lanie interrupted. "Some things that both of us had to clear out, apart. We needed a break."

"But you're going to get back together, right?" Jenny asked, concerned. Lanie smiled at her and shrugged.

"We'll see."

"…you still love him?" Jenny dared asking after a few seconds.

"It might be," Lanie admitted finally.

Jenny smiled as she noticed the gaze and the smile Lanie was trying to hide.

"Well, he's still in love with you. You can tell by the way he looks at you. And last night, if you had seen how jealous he was of the guy who was with you at the pool…I thought he was going to commit murder", she laughed.

Lanie did her best not to grin once again but failed.

"Well I have to admit…I liked seeing him being jealous", she admitted as she grinned at Jenny.

"I bet you did…See, you still love him", Jenny said as she gently nudged her.

"Of course I do. But love is not everything", Lanie explained.

"It's the most important! If there's love, love can change everything. You know, it hasn't always been perfect with Kevin…"

"Oh come on."

"I swear! We've had ups and downs. I've had doubts too. But we worked our relationship out. And now I can't imagine my life without him. I'm sure you guys can solve your problems together."

"You think so?"

"I'm sure. So please…as soon as he gets back, run to him."

Lanie smiled at the thought and nodded.

"Your hormones are already getting you crazy", she teased with her typical sense of humor. Then she looked at Jenny before she continued.

"Are you feeling better?"

"Way better. My belly is still painful though, but it was good talking to you…I feel better and more secure."

"I can assure you everything is going to be just fine," Lanie promised as she stroked her shoulder.

Jenny smiled back at her. "I can't wait to tell the father now," she admitted, feeling a little bit anxious just imagining the scene.

"He's going to be over the moon."

"Just like Javier when you'll be jumping at his neck", Jenny teased. Lanie sighed heavily and got up from the bathtub.

"Sometimes I feel like you're becoming me in terms of humor, it's scary," Lanie said as she offered her a hand so she could stand up easily as well.

"Is it bad?" Jenny asked as she grabbed her hand.

"Ask Kate…" Lanie replied, smiling, as she could imagine her best friend's smile every time she teased her about her writer boy. "Speaking of whom, what about joining the others?" she added as she pointed the bathroom's door.

Jenny nodded before she grabbed Lanie's arm once again.

"Lanie, wait…"

The medical examiner turned back. Jenny bit her lips.

"I'm going to tell Kevin, but with all this, I don't know exactly when, so…"

Lanie gently interrupted her.

"Don't worry, my lips are sealed."

Jenny smiled at her once again, whispered a "thank you" and hugged her tight with all the strength she had. Lanie was surprised by her gesture but finally responded by holding her tight as well. Jenny was exhausted, and because of her hormones, she hardly fought the urge to cry again. Lanie heard her sniff discreetly.

"It's okay, Jenny. Everything's going to be okay," she whispered to comfort her as she rubbed her back.

** /**

**_(**n/a : better sensations with RainyMood**)_**

The weather had become nasty and a heavy rain was pouring since Rick, Javier and Kevin were outside, in the dark. For twenty minutes now, they had been walking around step by step, with only one flashlight and a small gun for three. They had checked the surroundings first, went to see the tires of all the cars again. They were definitely slashed. Even the writer's Ferrari. Then they had decided to walk further, from the main alley to the woods, forming an arc of circle.

"What are we looking for exactly?" Esposito asked irritated as he was leading the way, holding the light right in front of him and holding the gun in his other hand.

"What, exactly, I don't know...I'd say somebody suspect," Castle replied as he blinked because of the rain that was drenching his face. "and Royal, for sure. I promised Alexis we would bring him back."

"Nothing's here", Ryan said as he brought up the rear and looked behind from time to time.

"Somebody suspect...there's no one here. No one is crazy enough to go outside with such a weather", Javier said as he shrugged. Some rain was slipping into his neck from the collar of his k-way. He shivered as he was frozen.

"Anyway, it's not a coincidence all the tires of our cars are slashed and the power is cut," Ryan said. "I don't mean to freak out but it cannot be a coincidence."

"Do you really think a maniac is trying to get to us?" Rick asked as it was hard to believe.

"I don't know...but you gotta admit it's not normal", Ryan replied.

"Besides, Royal left in a hurry earlier. He must have felt something."

"By the way, isn't your dog supposed to obey when you call him?" Esposito asked.

They had been trying unsuccessfully to call Royal many times since they were outside, but the golden retriever hadn't reappeared.

"Yes. But he's not my dog, it's Kay Cappuccio's," Castle said. "By the way, Alexis won't be the only one to blame me if we don't find him."

"There's no reason we don't", Ryan said, trying to stay positive. "Right? He shouldn't be far."

Castle slowed down his pace and touched some bushes from the back of his hand, on the right.

"That's what I think but..."

Because of the rain, the dark and only a flashlight for three, he barely could see something. Despite their callings, there was still nothing.

"Royal?" he called again. But his voice was barely audible because of the sound of the rain falling on the leaves.

"Wait, what is this?" Ryan interrupted as he glanced at a bush suddenly.

The boys turned back at the same time, on the alert.

"What?" Javier asked, raising his gun.

"There, I think I saw something move," Ryan said, as he pointed a dark undergrowth.

Frowning, Kevin started to walk further but Javier interrupted him.

"Wait, bro. I've got the weapon. I should go first."

He walked towards the bush in question, using the light in front of him, holding the gun tight, ready to shoot at any moment. Castle stayed right behind him, his heart pounding in his chest.

"I don't see anything." Javier said without turning back. "Are you sure you saw something?"

"I saw the bush move" Ryan nodded. "It was fast but I don't think it was my imagination."

"Royal?" Rick said, in a half question. "Royal?" he called again, louder. But still nothing.

"Nah, there's nothing", Javier said as he put his gun down. "False alarm."

"I was sure I saw..." Ryan began.

"There's nothing man", Javier interrupted. "I checked. Plus, moving bushes, there are plenty of them everywhere with that shitty weather."

**_(n/a: even better sensations with John Murphy - 28 Theme (28 Weeks Later OST soundtrack))_**

The wind was blowing hard and it was difficult to see something. The atmosphere was even more disturbing.

"Let's continue", Rick said, trying to keep faith and not start to panic. He was trying to stay positive in front of the two cops but he was starting to think the situation was getting more and more stressful.

The branches were cracking at each step, and the trees surrounding them were threatening...added to the fact that everything could happen to them at any moment.

Even if they had a gun, they didn't know where the threat could come from. Who it was, and what it was, they didn't even know. That was what Rick feared the most.

"Wait...Look out there!" Rick said suddenly, dragging the cops' attention.

"What?" Esposito asked trying to look at the direction he was pointing.

"I feel like there's something out there...right there." Castle said as he pointed at the road. "Can you light it up?"

"Are you sure? Maybe..." Javier said before he stopped. He could see something too, about forty meters ahead. It was an intermittent weak glow.

The three men walked further carefully, heading to the glow. As they approached, they realized it was a car light. Warning lights actually.

"It's a car", Javier said. "Somebody had a car accident?" he wondered as he walked faster.

"With that weather, it wouldn't be impossible", Rick said as he hurried too, followed closely by Ryan.

The shape of the car was more precise as they approached. It was a dark saloon car, parked on the side of the road, near the woods. The tires had formed a long mark of mud and leaves in a strange arc of circle. As if the braking had been chaotic and brutal. The boys hurried, looking for the driver or a passenger in distress.

"Hello? Is anyone here?" Javier called out as he checked the car windows that were closed while Ryan and Castle turned around the car. Rick was the first to see the damages.

"The windshield is a mess", he shouted, his voice covered by the rain. "And it seems that the tires are slashed."

All of them. As if they had exploded and the car had ended its crazy race on the side of the road.

"I'm going to open the door", Esposito warned as he put the gun in the pocket of his jean. Then he pointed the light to the driver's window, trying to see something inside, before he grabbed the knob. It opened easily.

"Esposito? Do you see something?" Rick asked as he came closer.

The car was empty. But what was inside wasn't good at all...

There was broken glass on the front seats, driver and passenger. The airbag had been used. The shock must had been violent. But the most terrifying were the traces of blood. Some drops of different sizes, everywhere. On the beige leather seat, as well as on the wheel and the passenger window.

Still, there was no one.

"Where's the driver?" Rick asked, over Javier's shoulder as he swallowed hard.

"Maybe he or she went for help. It's a mess here. Did you see that?"

On the other side, detective Ryan was checking the surroundings, worried. He had a bad feeling. Something had caught his attention. He headed to the undergrowth, a few meters away from the car but not too far from the boys either. He had seen something, next to a tree. There was a pile of leaves, and it was too good to be natural...

"I have a weird feeling of déjà-vu," Castle whispered, frowning. _That car..._

Ryan headed to the pile of branches and moved some away with his foot before he stopped suddenly. His foot had touched something. He slowly leaned forward and started to take more branches away, faster. It wasn't normal.

His heart stopped when he found out what it was.

"Oh my God..."

He felt a wave of nausea and fought the urge to puke.

"Guys!" he managed to call, as he kept putting the leaves away.

Esposito and Castle stopped watching the car and rushed to their friend.

"What's wrong?"

"I found...I found a body..." Kevin managed to say as he looked down.

It was a woman, half naked. Her golden dress had been ripped off to the thighs, and one could see her long pale legs, curled up, covered with blood and mud. A thong was hung up to her ankles. Her arms were full of cuts and stiffened, like a dead spider. She had been stabbed repeatedly. The features of her face were fixed and revealed she had a painful death...

Ryan swallowed hard before he started to speak. "Guys, I...I think it's Gina."

Rick stopped, his mouth dry, his face livid. The bad feeling he had earlier wasn't a coincidence. He had recognized the car. Just like he recognized the body laying in front of them.

It was definitely his ex-wife. She had been murdered.

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_to be continued..._


	16. Chapter 16

**Hello everyone! I haven't updated for soooo long, I'm sorry. I've been crazy busy lately but here's the next chapter today. Enjoy your reading and thank you so much for the feedbacks on the last chapter. I'll do my best to update soon! Stay tuned! :)**

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_[n/a: RainyMood is good :) ]_

_._

Rick Castle had felt a wave of nausea as soon as the corpse had appeared to him. He had been leaning over the pale and lifeless body for long minutes now, full of blood and deep cuts and he definitely wanted to throw up. That body…His ex-wife's body. He was shivering, trembling. He couldn't believe it. He tried to study the wounds in detail, but that was too hard to believe. No, he couldn't believe she was dead. According to her wounds, she had been murdered. Maybe even more. Raped, tortured…until she bled until death. That was too unreal. Rick was in shock, lost, devastated. He couldn't believe it. He couldn't believe Gina was dead. In atrocious conditions. No, he just couldn't.

The beautiful blond woman's eyes were still open, and her mouth was half open as well. A blood line had escaped from the corner of her mouth and slipped down to her cheek. Some flies were turning around her split lip, but Rick didn't even try to brush them off as he knew they would come back anyway. The writer stared at her eyes. They were fixed and without any expression. Her ex-wife had always been the opposite though; she always had that special way of looking at him, even after they got divorced, even when things turned bad between them professionally speaking.

And her body. It was lacerated in various parts, half naked…Rick couldn't imagine what she had to endure. It had some mud and leaves in some parts, but the most evident wounds were visible. She had been…well, it was hard to tell. Her belly had been stabbed, more than once. The skin on this body part was full of holes. Maybe it was a screwdriver. He wasn't a medical examiner after all, but he couldn't help imagining murder weapons – a professional old habit.

Gina was laying on the floor, in a mix of mud, blood, rain, and the sound of the raindrops falling on her body was becoming unbearable for the writer. It was only a detail, nothing relevant, but he couldn't help imagining the rain would wake her up, and she would complain about how cold it was. She would get up, replace her hair behind her ears, and she would order Rick to go home and stay warm, away from the storm.

But it was only his imagination. The rain kept falling on her body…and she remained inert.

When the blood, the wounds, all this was too much for him and he had to stop overthinking about it, Rick started to speak, worn out.

"I shouldn't have let her go last night…It was late, I shouldn't…" he whispered as he shook his head in a desperate tone.

Suddenly he felt a hand on his shoulder.

"You don't have to blame yourself, Castle. Gina wasn't the only one to take her car last night. It's just something horrible that could have happened to anyone else…" Ryan whispered as he squatted next to him.

"Can you believe it? Can you believe somebody's been murdered right next to where you are? And that we didn't hear anything?"

"No. But these woods are isolated. Maybe she met a drunken guy, or…"

"Or a maniac, the very same one who slashed my electric wires", Rick said. Ryan stared at him. He didn't finish his sentence but Rick had talked for him.

"You're right, it's terrible," Ryan sighed as he patted his shoulder. "Are you okay?" he added then, studying his look. Rick shrugged.

"Yeah…I mean, no…I don't know. I don't get it. We were all having fun, enjoying the party last night, and…it just cannot be," Rick stammered, still in shock.

"I know, Castle. This kind of things are always hard to believe", the Irish said. He couldn't realize himself. But in front of Castle's despair, facing her ex-wife's mutilated body, he tried not to show he was worried too.

Behind them, Javier Esposito was cursing Spanish words, his phone glued to his ear. He was glancing at the woods around them, nervously. The forest seemed more and more threatening, as the night was falling. The wind was blowing hard, making the bushes and branches balance all around, and the rain couldn't stop falling, making his vision blurry. That wasn't reassuring at all after they found the body. Of course he knew war. Of course he was a cop, an adult and so on. But, deep inside him, he was afraid.

"Dammit, still no signal", he growled as he hung up the phone.

Ryan stood up and walked towards him.

"We really have a problem, Javier. Because we had one, yesterday. Do you think it's the storm, or…"

"I think nothing at all", Javier interrupted him, almost aggressively but it was not against him. "What I think, is the girls are home, and I can't reach them. And it scares me", he said as he rubbed his cheeks.

Ryan nodded.

"Yeah, me too. We should go home," he said as he turned to Rick who just stood up, his legs shaking.

"Castle, we better go home…"

"What are we going to do with the body?" the writer interrupted, searching for their gaze.

Esposito and Ryan glanced at Gina's lifeless body. They didn't know what to respond.

"I don't know who did this, but it's a maniac for sure," Esposito sighed before he swallowed hard.

"There's a maniac around, great," Ryan said despite the gravity of the situation.

"Yes there is. We have to find out how she's been killed", Rick said suddenly, as he regained courage.

"What we have to do right now, is calling for help, Castle", Esposito corrected.

"Oh yeah? You're gonna tell me you have a signal, after trying for twenty minutes?" Rick said irritated.

"No", Esposito replied. "But if a maniac is around, if he's able to do this, we can't do anything by ourselves."

"Dammit, are you the police or not?" Rick barked, losing his temper.

"Calm down", the latino replied, deciding not to start stressing out. Rick ran a hand through his hair and closed his eyes for a few seconds. He needed to get a grip. But even if his eyes were shut, he could still see the haunting vision of Gina's body.

"You're right," he added then. "I am sorry for yelling at you."

"Apologies accepted. I understand what you're going through", Javier replied with a sympathetic smile.

"All right, we need to find some help, but let me remind you we don't have any electricity, car, nor phone signals", Rick said.

Esposito and Ryan shared a look. He was right.

"And I'm really starting to think that a maniac I don't even know slashed my house wiring, the cars' tires, and tortured my ex-wife…and…I'm really starting to freak out, guys", Castle said, feeling a shiver down his spine as he summed up the situation.

"Are you sure you don't know who it is?" Esposito asked. Rick's eyes widened.

"Are you seriously asking me this?" Rick said offended.

"No, I'm sorry, that was stupid", Esposito sighed. "Sorry bro, job habit."

"I can assure you I don't know who killed Gina and why. I don't know why all those things have been happening to us since this afternoon. Our phones out of service, the cars, the electricity, Kate who saw somebody run away in the garden…but all things considered, it's really, really terrifying", Rick said as he couldn't hide his fear anymore.

"You're right", Ryan admitted as he glanced at Gina's body once again.

"So I think we have no choice." Castle said. "We need to find out what is going on here. At least, until we find a way to get some help. There's no way I'm gonna wait and do nothing whereas my ex-wife was tortured to death by a wacko for no reason. Who knows? He might want to hurt my daughter, my mother, Kate…anyone", he said as he pointed at Gina's body.

"He's right, Javier. We have to do something." Ryan nodded as he thought of Jenny. Esposito sighed heavily, almost convinced. It was the only thing to do anyway, instead of panicking. After all, it might be their only chance to stay alive…

"Yeah, we need to find that bastard", Javier said, feeling anger at the thought of this crime and the fact he didn't want anyone else to get hurt. Rick sighed in relief, as he managed to convince him.

"All right. But for this, we need Lanie to check on the body, in details", Rick added as he glanced at Gina's body. "So we're going to carry her home and…"

"We can't carry her home, Rick, because of the prints. Well, if there's some…" Esposito interrupted him.

"So we leave her here?!" Rick said, widening his eyes.

Espo and Ryan shared a questioning look.

"We leave her here, but we go back with Lanie?" Ryan offered as he kept looking at his buddy. After a few seconds, Esposito spoke again.

"I definitely hate the idea…but I guess we have no choice," he said determined, as he glanced at Gina's body one last time.

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_to be continued..._


	17. Chapter 17

**Hi people! Yes, a quick update :D thank you for the few reviews I received. Hope you'll enjoy your reading on this chapter. xxx**

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When Rick Castle pushed the heavy entrance door of the manor, Kate Beckett finally stopped pacing in the living room.

"Finally you're back!" she said, standing behind the couch.

The boys replied nothing and came in, eyes low.

"You didn't find Royal?" Alexis first noticed, disappointed.

"He'll be back, honey." Martha comforted her, stroking her long red hair.

Ryan and Esposito brought up the rear and Esposito shut the door carefully. The men wouldn't speak, and Kate guessed something was wrong.

"So, did you find something?" she asked anxiously as she couldn't bear their silence and the grave look on their face.

"We have a big problem", Kevin finally said as he shook his drenched hair.

"What's going on?" Jenny asked worried, sitting next to Lanie. On the opposite couch, Martha and Alexis put the family album aside and listened carefully.

Rick swallowed hard before he looked at Kate and then at Martha and Alexis.

"We found Gina…she was dead," he announced.

Gina. Dead.

"…What?" Kate said in shock, as she stepped further.

"Gina…Gina? You mean…"

Rick interrupted his mother with a nod.

"Oh my God," Alexis stammered as she placed a shaky hand on her mouth. She stood up from the couch and rushed to her father.

"Dad, that's horrible…" she whispered as she placed her hands around his waist. Rick welcomed her hug and held her tight. No matter how old he was, he really needed a hug in such circumstances.

"What happened?" Lanie asked, as she stood from the couch. "Did she have a car accident or…"

"No", Esposito interrupted her. "We wish she did," he winced, remembering her body half naked and wounded.

"What do you mean?" Kate asked, as she knew her friend's look too well. He wasn't the kind of guy to be afraid of anything.

Esposito swallowed hard and glanced at Kevin to regain courage before he spoke.

The courage to tell the truth.

"She was murdered."

Kate and Lanie's eyes widened in shock almost at the same time.

"…Excuse me?!" Kate stammered, her mouth half opened.

"Yeah, we found her car, and her body was hidden in the leaves a few meters away."

"Oh my God."

"According to the wounds and the fact her body was half naked…we think it's a murder," Ryan added in a serious tone.

"What kind of wounds?" Lanie asked, curious. Her job habit.

"…It was a mess, that's all I can say", Esposito replied. Kate's eyes turned to Rick.

"But who would want to kill Gina?" Alexis asked, raising her brilliant eyes to her father. Some tears were already falling on her cheeks.

Rick shook his head, overwhelmed.

"I don't know sweetheart", he whispered back as he put his forehead on the top head of his daughter. Kate couldn't stop looking at him. She wanted to come closer, to comfort him, to be in his arms because she was as scared as him. But she couldn't do it. She had to be strong. That was her job.

"My God this is a nightmare…" Martha sighed while Lanie and Esposito looked at each other in silence. They had nothing to say in such situation. Ryan joined Jenny on the couch, took her hand and whispered some comforting words as she looked terrified.

"Are you saying there's a killer around?" Lanie finally said after a few seconds.

"Gina didn't get those wounds by herself for sure," Esposito replied. Kate had already grabbed her phone. But the second after she threw it to the floor with rage.

"Dammit!" she groaned, anxious.

"Don't, Kate. There's no network. And it's not the storm", Javier said as the others looked at him.

"…So what is it?" Kate asked overwrought.

"Well…I don't like to explain you all this but…"

"Spill it, Espo", detective Beckett sighed.

Esposito sighed.

"Some stuff can scramble networks and prevent phones from having signals," he started.

"For what?" Kate asked, raising her eyebrows. Javier shrugged.

"It's common in the army. You can hide, and not be seen from your enemies who could detect the waves…or in our case…simply for…" he stopped, as he bit his lips hesitantly.

"For?" Lanie repeated, waiting for him to tell them everything.

"So we can't call 911," Esposito finally said.

"I don't like it. I don't like it at all," Jenny sighed, shaking.

"I promise we're going to find out what's going on, honey," Ryan whispered to his wife, gently replacing a lock of blond hair behind her ear. She didn't reply anything, although his gesture comforted her a little bit.

"Are you saying somebody's trying to kill us?" Lanie asked her ex-boyfriend. He didn't want to reply but Lanie knew him too well. His look spoke for him.

"We're going to be okay, safe and sound, I promise you," he replied finally.

Actually he wanted to tell her he would do anything to protect her from any wacko if there was any. He would do anything. But at that very moment, he said nothing…after all, they weren't together anymore.

"Are you all right, Castle?" Kate asked, as she stepped further and came closer to him. Lost in tracks and letting Alexis hug him, Rick didn't realize Kate had spoken to him. When she approached him, he shook his head and tried to focus.

"Sorry?"

"Are you all right?" she repeated simply. Alexis took the opportunity to wipe her tears with the back of her hand and headed to the couch, where her grandmother was. But on the way, Lanie grabbed her arm to comfort her for a few seconds.

"I don't know if I can be all right in such situation," Rick said in a serious tone. Kate smiled softly at him. She knew perfectly what he was going through.

"Gina had the worst personality ever, we hated each other so much sometimes, but…she didn't deserve this. If you had seen her body…And all the blood…" he said, his voice trailing off. Rick Castle was used to crime scenes in his books…But in real life, it was completely different.

Seeing him so desperate made her want to hold him tight against her. Kate slowly raised her hand and placed it softly against his cheek. It was fresh and soft, and her gesture comforted him a little bit in this painful moment.

"We're going to find out what happened, I promise…" she whispered, still stroking his cheek. He nodded slowly, hypnotized by her gaze and her smile.

"It's going to be okay", she repeated. "We're armed, we're cops. So, even if we can't reach anyone outside for now, I promise you we're going to be just fine, Rick," she whispered.

But deep inside her, Kate wasn't sure. Rick regained courage and when Kate took off her hand, he glanced at Lanie.

"Lanie, we were thinking that maybe, you could come and examine the body? To find out the time of death, among other things…Not alone of course, but…"

"Of course I'll go," Lanie decided, interrupting him.

"Great. Thanks."

"You don't need to thank me", Lanie said as she grabbed her coat and put her on under Esposito's protective look, while Kate seemed to think about something.

"Castle, I'd like you not to go back there," she announced then, as she stared at the writer. Rick raised his eyebrows.

"What? But why?" he asked.

"This is too much for you. You don't need to endure the vision again," she explained him gently. He protested.

"Kate, I…"

"Rick, please don't insist. It disturbed you! It won't help if you go back there. Stay here, take some rest…Lanie and me, we're going together." Kate decided.

While Lanie nodded, Esposito smirked on her right.

"Not alone, girls", he interrupted. Kate looked back at him and sighed.

"Javi, don't forget I'm a cop too," Kate said. "Besides, I'm…"

"My superior, I know. Whatever you say Kate, I'm telling you, you're not going outside without me", he said with authority.

"And not without me, either," Ryan said as he stood up from the couch.

"You're sweet," Lanie whispered to Esposito with a soft smile.

"What. Did you forget I can be sweet?" he replied, smiling back at her as he grabbed his flashlight. It wasn't the night yet, but in the woods and in the dark, it would be useful.

As Lanie and Javier kept smiling at each other, Kate turned to Rick.

"All right, the four of us are going. And Rick, take that."

She lended him her gun and Rick grabbed it.

"What about you?" he asked after a few seconds.

"Espo has yours, and if he's armed, we're safe. Do you know how to use it?" she asked him. Rick smiled softly, in spite of the circumstances.

"Don't you remember the shooting training, when I beat you hollow?"

Kate rolled her eyes and smiled, glad he got a little bit of his humor back.

"If you have any problem, you shoot. According to the circumstances, it is self-defense. AND please, tell Martha, Alexis and Jenny not to leave this room. If someone wants to go to the bathroom, go by 2", she explained, looking at him intensely.

"Got it," Rick nodded, a little bit anxious to have new responsibilities.

"I trust you. Everything's going to be fine, we'll be back in no time", Kate ended.

Then she turned to Lanie, Esposito and Ryan.

"You're ready?"

"I gotta take my suitcase first, with my tools in the trunk of my car", Lanie said.

"You always take it with you?" Ryan asked, surprised.

"Yes it's no big deal. Just autopsy equipments but also first aid kit just in case."

"Convenient", the Irish said.

"My tires are flat, right?" Lanie said, giving a questioning look to Esposito. He nodded.

"Does it mean the lock was forced or…"

Espo shook his head.

"Nah, I checked. Only the tires are slashed. Take your keys", he said. She headed to her bag and grabbed her car keys. Meanwhile, Jenny stood up and headed to Ryan.

"Be careful. You know I love you, right?" she whispered before she kissed him. It was a soft kiss but all the passion of their story was in it. All she wanted was getting out of this hell and telling him the good news…She made the kiss last thinking about it. When she ended it, Ryan took her beautiful face between the palms of his hands.

"I love you too, honey. More thank you'll ever know", he whispered back, pulling her against his chest.

Esposito watched them, a little bit embarrassed to see them so close. The situation was even more awkward when Lanie went back with her car keys. She looked at the two lovebirds before she shared a look with Javier. They gazed at each other in silence for a few seconds. They had so much to say to each other too…But it was definitely the wrong moment.

"All right, let's go," Kate ordered, interrupting them all.

"Be careful, children," Martha said from the couch. Alexis was holding her, still in shock because of the news.

"We'll be fine," Kate promised with a polite smile, while Lanie, Esposito and Ryan left the manor under the rain and a darker sky.

Kate walked past the door but she felt a hand grabbing her arm. She turned back. Rick was standing there, a few centimeters from her. He had grabbed her arm and wouldn't leave her gaze. He had a special way to look at her that made her shiver. She opened her mouth and was about to say something but he spoke first.

"Be careful, Kate, I'm begging you," he whispered, his eyes full of concern.

Kate offered him a soft smile and nodded.

"We'll be back in no time", she promised in a whispered, savoring his touch. Rick opened his mouth as he wanted to say more…but the words wouldn't come out. The event had left him speechless. He finally let her arm go and Kate smiled at him again, before she turned to join Esposito, Lanie and Ryan who were near the M.E's car. Rick watched Kate walk away under the pouring rain as he leaned his head against the beam of the door. He just couldn't close the door until she would be completely out of his field of vision, entering those hostile woods with Lanie and the boys.

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_to be continued..._


	18. Chapter 18

**Hey guys! Yes another update...Your reviews are so motivating, I wanted to continue fast :D Thanks to the person who let me know about the grammar faults I made in the previous chapter. ("her" instead of "him") I corrected that. I hope I didn't make too many mistakes in today's chapter. Okay, now be prepared for what's next... *Muhahaha* :D xxx**

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_(n/a: RainyMood)_

_._

Leaning over Gina's body for long minutes, Lanie Parish had just finished her examination in silence and was about to reveal her conclusions to Kate, who was squatting next to her. A few steps away, Javier Esposito was watching over them all, lighting up the woods around, ready to draw his gun. On the other side of the body, Kevin was also watching over the scene, paying close attention to any suspicious sound. The rain was still pouring and it wasn't helping. The two boys were also impatient to hear doctor Parish's diagnosis.

"Considering the rigidity and body temp, plus the temperature outside, I'd say the time of death must be around 2 or 3 am, last night. The cause of death is certainly the fatal knock she received on the head, here," Lanie said as she pointed at the swollen crane of Gina, wearing her usual blue gloves. Indeed, Gina had a big bump on the right temple, slightly hidden by her hair. It wasn't the first thing to be noticed, considering all the wounds she had and her ripped clothes.

"What about these lacerations and the wounds on the belly?" Kate asked, raising an eyebrow.

"She was stabbed repeatedly. Considering the lacerations, I'd say…at least more than thirty times. Maybe it wasn't a kitchen knife…I'd say something smaller. Maybe a pocket knife. She must have bled to death, but that's not what killed her. That knock on the head is the cause of death. Even if it's obvious she wouldn't have survived with so many stabs", the M.E explained.

"So the killer hit her on the head, before she bled to death?"

Lanie shrugged.

"That's what I'm thinking."

"What about the weapon? A wood stick?" Kate asked, staring at the blue bump on Gina's temple. Lanie shrugged.

"It's hard to say without more exams…I'd say a long object, extremely heavy. A steel bar for example."

Hearing her explanations made Esposito and Ryan share a disgusting look. Who could have done this?

"Any sexual abuse?" detective Beckett asked, staring at her friend with apprehension.

"Once again, I can't say without further analysis in a morgue. But it's obvious her clothes weren't ripped for nothing. I just can't tell whether she's been raped before or after she died."

Kate took in consideration Lanie's remarks and looked at Gina's body, disgusted.

"Poor Rick…Finding her dead and seeing her that way…" she whispered sadly.

"It must be horrible to see somebody you loved in that condition," Lanie nodded.

"Somebody you loved or still love…"Kate whispered for herself. But Lanie had heard her.

"What?"

"Nothing, it's not the moment to talk about this…Thank you Lanie", Kate replied, shaking her head. She stood up and turned to the boys.

"So we have a mad dog killer, or a sexual offender."

"In both cases, this is not funny," Ryan said. "The phones are still out of service, even for Internet," he sighed as he glanced at the screen of his Blackberry before he put it in his pocket.

"I know, it sucks," Javier said with a sigh.

"If we can't call 911 for now, we have to catch the guy by our own means. He can't make any more victims", Kate ordered.

The boys nodded.

"Do you think it's somebody who knew Gina?" Ryan asked.

"There's no doubt. We're in the middle of nowhere here. Gina was killed last night. Right after Castle leaded her to her car. I think it's not a coincidence…Maybe the killer was even at the party last night," Esposito said.

"Scary…" Lanie said as she took off her gloves. "You mean…maybe it was a guy from the catering service last night?"

Esposito couldn't help but smirked.

"If you're thinking about your Jake, I think not. He looked like a douchebag, not a killer," he said matter-o-factly. The M.E raised an eyebrow.

"Why are you talking about him?" she asked coldly.

He shrugged.

"Don't tell me you were not thinking about him," he said, looking at her.

Lanie gave him an eye and was about to say something but Kevin interrupted them, raising a hand.

"No, guys, seriously. Usually I love it when you're arguing, really, but I think it is not appropriate now," he said looking at them.

"I agree with Ryan," Kate approved. Finally Lanie sighed but said nothing and focused on her equipments.

"So, let me sum up the situation. There's a possibility we have a maniac who was at the party and who could have killed anyone…or it's somebody who knew his vic…" detective Beckett ended.

"So maybe he knew Castle too," Kevin interrupted, staring at Kate. She frowned before she shook her head.

"He said he had no clue of who it is…"

"So what do we do?" Lanie interrupted, still squatting next to the body. "I mean, for Gina? Shall we take her home?"

"No, we can't risk losing the prints," Javier replied.

"We leave her here for now. Nothing worse can happen to her now anyway," Kate said.

"It's a good thing, in some way," Kevin said.

"All right. We've learned more information about her death", Kate said.

"I wish I could tell you more with further analysis though, but…" Lanie sighed.

"It's not your fault, Lanie", Javier said to comfort her.

"Don't worry Lanie. What about leaving her here, and going back to the manor? Then we ask Castle if he can think about somebody Gina could have known or somebody who could…"

_(n/a: Better sensations with the following music: Dead Silence Theme)_

Kate didn't finish her sentence. Some rustling leaves had caught Esposito's attention, behind Kate. There was no doubt. Something was moving out there. He pointed the flashlight towards the shadow they couldn't identify because of the rain, while his blood curdled. His reaction surprised Kate who stopped talking and stared at him.

"What's wrong Espo?" she asked, worried. Lanie also stood up, giving her ex a concerned look.

"Kate, take Lanie home, now," Esposito ordered without answering her question. He seemed to get more and more nervous. He drew his gun immediately and wouldn't stop staring at the bushes in front of him.

"Do you see someone?" Kate asked, starting to look at his direction.

"I…I don't know. I think I saw something move, but…Anyway, do what I'm saying, girls, go home, now!" he groaned. Imagining them in danger was stressing him out more than anything.

"Javi…"

They heard a twig cracking in the same direction. Lanie didn't finish her phrase as Kate and her turned to the sound, shivering. The rustling was so close to them…

"What was that…" Lanie whispered, scared, as she grabbed her friend's arm. Kate replied nothing and looked around, frowning, trying to see something…in vain.

"Do you think somebody's here?" Ryan whispered, holding his breath.

They remained silent. There was only the rain that prevented them from hearing what strangely sounded like…footsteps.

"Go home, girls," Esposito said again, pointing his gun and the flashlight at the shadow, ready to shoot at any moment.

But because of the rain, it was hard to identify what it was clearly.

"We're not leaving you here," Lanie protested.

"Lanie, don't discuss it," Javier ordered without looking at her.

Kate was about to say something when suddenly a gunshot broke the silence in the dark forest. A gunshot that didn't come from Esposito's weapon.

And then a scream. It was Lanie, panicked. The gunshot had surprised her.

"DUCK!" Esposito shouted with authority. Kevin, Lanie and Kate immediately threw themselves to the ground, Kate rushing to Lanie's body to protect her.

There was another shot and this time, Esposito shot back, although he didn't know where to aim, as he couldn't see anything. The shooter was hiding in the bushes. Kevin was on the floor and Kate had pushed Lanie down, protecting her friend who was terrified, with her own body. The M.E wasn't used to such situation. Kate could feel her trembling, sobbing against the floor. She was covering her ears not to hear the deafening sound of gunshots.

A few shots later, the silence remained. For a few seconds, Esposito looked around, on watch. But it was over.

"Anybody's hurt?" Javier asked as he turned his head to Lanie and Kate, hidden in the leaves. Then Kevin, a few meters away, behind Gina's body. Thank God they were all safe.

"Dammit, why is he shooting us?" Ryan said as he stood up, wiping his hands full of mud on his pants.

"Run to the manor girls, we'll follow you", Esposito ordered strongly without answering Kevin's question.

"Kevin, behind me," he added then, knowing his friend and colleague was unarmed. The Irish ran to Esposito, keeping it low while Kate grabbed the M.E's hand.

"Come, Lanie."

She helped her get up. Then Lanie grabbed her M.E's suitcase and turned to Esposito, wanting to say something.

"Javi…"

"Lanie, go," he interrupted her, without even looking at her. He wanted to stay focused after the gunshots, she knew it. This exchange saddened her though, because at that moment, she didn't even know whether she would see him again. She looked at him one last time, disappointed, and then went back to reality when she felt Kate's hand holding hers tighter to make her move.

"Come on," Kate repeated. Then the girls ran away in the dark night, full of terrors.

"Take it!"

Javier threw his flashlight to Kevin so he could focus on his gun he was holding tight, anxiously. Ryan watched the girls go away while he kept lighting up in Javier's direction, until they were out of sight.

"Okay, they're gone", he sighed, relieved.

"What I don't like is that I don't see that freaking silhouette anymore…" Esposito groaned, worried. The boys kept looking at the woods, focused and waiting for any suspicious sound.

"Dammit, he was there, five minutes ago!" the Puerto-rican growled, overwrought. His heart was racing. The rain was falling down on his skin, his hair, blurring his vision.

"'You think you…killed him?" Ryan asked in low voice.

"Nah. We didn't hear anything, no shout, no body falling on the floor…I don't know." Esposito admitted, unsure.

"I don't understand why he shot us for no reason…"

"Because he's a cuckoo, man. Isn't it enough?"

Kevin ran a hand on his face, worried as well.

"So…You think that's the guy who slashed the electricity?" he stammered.

"I'd like to catch him and ask him the question, you know?" Esposito said ironically, still focusing on the woods in front of them.

"Yeah, right…" Ryan said. "Dammit we're so screwed…" he added with a sigh.

"It's weird we don't hear anything now…shall we check the bushes? See if I got him?" Esposito asked his buddy.

"Yeah, so we'll know…"

The two friends slowly stepped towards the bushes, a few meters ahead them. They were walking, still on watch, the falling leaves and the twig cracking under their steps. There was nothing but darkness, pouring rain and blowing wind that made their hair and Gina's clothes balance.

Javier and Kevin kept stepping further, carefully. Every rustle, every move was suspicious. Espo kept pointing his gun in front of them, and Kevin was lighting up the way the best he could with the flashlight that would be out of battery soon. The light was getting weaker every second.

He was breathing heavily. But they were too far to hear him. They didn't know the man had walked around the woods in silence and was now standing behind them, about thirty meters away. He was watching them, without even hiding now. He stepped further, between the mud and the branches…towards the two boys who didn't suspect anything, turning their backs. With the distance, the pouring rain, it was impossible…Kevin and Javier thought they were safe…But he was there, watching every move they made.

He was still looking at the two boys who kept walking towards the bushes…and then he pointed his gun at them.

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_..to be continued..._


	19. Chapter 19

**Hi guys! thanks for the reviews! Someone asked me to update today so I did my best to do it. ;) Don't forget to play RainyMood again on this part because...well, it's still raining outside hehe. Have a good weekend people and enjoy your reading ! xxx**

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"Kate, don't run so fast!" Lanie said, out of breath, a few steps behind her. The pouring rain was freezing her. Breathing heavily, her hair drenched, Kate turned to Lanie.

"Come on Lanie, we're almost there."

"I can't run anymore…I can't and I'm scared, the boys said they would join us but they're not here, and I…"

"Lanie!" Kate interrupted her, taking her face between her hands. The brown woman was drenched and her long black hair was sticking to her cheeks. Kate looked at her.

"I'm sure they're alright. Let me remind you we didn't hear any more gunshots, alright? They must be keeping watching or walking around. But they're coming. Maybe they got the guy and…"

When another gunshot interrupted Kate's speech, the young woman felt her world collapse. Even worse. After the gunshot, they heard a man's scream. Full of pain, that kept echoing through the woods for a few seconds. She felt a shiver down her spine while she stared at her friend, her mouth half opened. Still holding her cheeks between her hands, Kate felt Lanie was starting to shake.

"Oh my God. What was that…Who was it…Javier!" Lanie cried as she turned back, escaping from Kate's grip. But Kate grabbed her arm.

"Lanie no! You go back home", she ordered.

"…What? Kate, didn't you hear it? They got shot!" Lanie burst into tears.

"What if it was him? Kate, I haven't told him what I feel yet…" she stammered, her tears falling down on her cheeks.

Kate took a deep breath. She had to calm her down.

"Lanie, listen to me", she said softly. "You go home. The manor is just another hundred meters ahead, after the woods, you go straight, remember?"

"Yes", Lanie stammered, swallowing hard.

"You run like a crazy," Kate said, persuasive. "You run, you don't stop, you run and you don't look back. And you join the others. Go honey," she said as she let her arm go.

"What about you?" Lanie asked.

"I'm going back to see what happ…"

"Not alone," Lanie interrupted her.

"Lanie, I'm a cop! It's my job, not yours. Please, go home. I need to see what's going on, if they need my help…" she didn't finish her phrase.

"So you think they need help?" Lanie asked in a low voice. Kate nodded.

"Lanie, go home. I promise you it's going to be okay." Kate said.

Lanie finally nodded, panicked.

"I'll go…Please be careful."

"I will, don't worry," detective Beckett gave her a soft smile.

Then Lanie ran away to the manor like Kate had told her to. The rain was hitting her face, as well as the tears, but she wouldn't stop to wipe her eyes. She kept running as fast as she could, holding her suitcase that was balancing with the speed.

When Lanie was only a tiny dot out of sight, Kate turned back, relieved she was heading to the manor. She started to run to the woods again although the only thing she wanted was to run away, to the opposite direction. This time, the night had completely fallen out. She couldn't see anything.

She almost tripped over a muddy hole but got her balance back just in time. Her clothes were drenched and she was frozen. But she wouldn't stop. She wouldn't give up on her friends, her brothers who might need her.

"Javier? Kevin?" she shouted a few minutes later, as she arrived next to Gina's body. She checked around, panicking.

"Kevin, Javier!" she shouted again after a few seconds, using her hand as a megaphone. No answer. She could hear her own heartbeat through her drenched pullover. Her heart was beating so fast.

Kate Beckett was freaking out, so much she was about to give in and burst into tears. When suddenly…

"Kate! Right here!" a voice answered after a few seconds. A panicked voice. Out of breath, terrified. Kate turned her head to the voice, looking for her friends. Then she saw two silhouettes in the dark. A small dot was shining on the floor. The flashlight. Kate frowned. Why the hell was it on the floor?

Then she understood…the flashlight wasn't the only thing to be on the floor…Kevin and Javier's silhouettes were also there, in the frozen mud. Kate stepped further, weak and scared. She felt a shiver down her spine when she saw them better. Her eyes widened as she realized what she had in front of her.

"Oh…my God." She stammered, shaking.

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/

Another thunderbolt tore the sky as the door opened. Jenny, Martha, Alexis and even Rick startled and turned their head at the same time towards the entrance of the manor.

"Lanie!" Rick Castle said as he saw her coming inside, drenched and paralyzed. Lanie threw her suitcase in a corner and leaned over, putting her hands on her knees, trying to catch her breath. She had never run that fast before.

"What are you doing here, all alone? Are you okay? Where are the others?" the writer asked, concerned as he rushed to her. Lanie was so breathless she couldn't even answer all his questions.

"Alexis, go get a glass of water," Martha kindly asked her granddaughter as she stood up from the couch. The red-haired young girl nodded and headed to the counter of the kitchen.

"What happened?" Rick asked again, standing close to her, worried.

"Somebody was there…somebody who started to shoot us…" she hardly explained, still out of breath. She took off her coat as she was shaking and threw it next to her suitcase.

"What?" Jenny said in astonishment.

"You mean the killer…the killer shot you?" Rick corrected. Lanie shrugged and took the glass Alexis had brought. She drank it in one go.

"Thank you, honey," she whispered after drinking, before she looked at Rick.

"Killer or not, he started to shoot and the boys told us to go home…so we did, but on the way, we heard another shots and Kate wanted to go back there."

Rick rolled his eyes, irritated by the detective's bold behavior.

"Dammit", he groaned, anxious.

"And then?" Jenny asked. "After the gunshots?"

"I…I don't know. I have no news." Lanie stammered as she put the glass back on the first furniture she found next to her.

"Dammit…I shouldn't have let her go…"Rick mumbled as he started to pace.

"Richard, let me remind you Katherine is a cop. She's an excellent detective…"

"Mother, excellent detective or not, when a maniac is chasing them, it doesn't matter," the writer protested aggressively. He was anxious.

"It wouldn't have been different if you had been there instead of her, dad," Alexis said softly, as she brought Lanie a towel. The M.E used it immediately to wipe her face, her arms and her hands. Then she quickly wiped her long dark hair so they would stop freezing her.

"How many gunshots?" Rick asked Lanie as he ignored his daughter's comment.

"I don't remember…five I think, when we were doing the autopsy, and then when we were running, two…and then we heard a man's scream," Lanie stammered as she fiddled with the towel. She hated remembering that moment as she didn't even know what happened exactly.

"Okay, I'm going there to see what's going on," Rick decided resolutely.

"No Castle, if they told me to go home, it's certainly not for you to go there. And Kate forbade you to go", Lanie replied.

"As if I complied with the orders," he smirked, heading to his coat rack.

"Richard, for God's sake…" Martha began.

"Mother, don't insist."

"What if something happens to you? What are we gonna do?" Alexis protested.

"Nothing is gonna happen to you here."

Alexis sighed heavily.

"Dad, stay with us, please…"

"Honey, you're safe here. But if a maniac finds funny to shoot them outside, I can't stay here and twiddle my thumbs. I can't imagine that maybe, they're…"

He couldn't finish his phrase.

The door opened again loudly and the writer felt chills all over his body.

"Kate!" Rick said as he rushed to her. The detective was soaked and was holding Esposito's flashlight as well as Rick's gun in her hands. Lanie noticed it and frowned. Kate didn't say anything when Rick ran to her and hugged her tight. He couldn't have helped it. Kate hugged him back a few seconds before he let her go.

"I was worried to death. Are you alright?"

Kate swallowed hard and looked at him, trying to catch her breath. She had run like a crazy.

"I'm alright," she replied, shaking. She was anxious and frozen. Rick frowned. Everybody in the room had heard her. She was alright. But the fact she was holding the gun and the flashlight was weird.

"Why…Why do you have Javier's flashlight?" Lanie finally asked, scared. But Kate said nothing. She glanced at her, then Jenny, remaining silent. Jenny frowned as well.

"What's wrong, Kate…" Jenny whispered. She hated the serious and tormented look on her face. Kate didn't have time to reply.

Javier Esposito entered the manor, holding an inanimate Kevin Ryan in his arms.

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_...to be continued..._


	20. Chapter 20

**Hi people! Thank you loads for the feedbacks. I'm so glad you enjoy your reading! Omg, what did we do to Kevin? ^_^ Here is a looong chapter for you today, hope you'll like it ;) xxx**

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_Javier Esposito entered the manor, holding an inanimate Kevin Ryan in his arms._

"Get out of the way!" he said as he headed to the couch quickly. Martha left the sofa and whispered "Oh my God" repeatedly.

"Kevin!" Jenny cried, scared. She almost fell down but found the strength to rush to the couch where Esposito had just laid him down.

"Oh my God", Rick stammered, in shock. He didn't expect this.

"What happened?" he whispered to Kate.

"It was a trap. The guy shot many times before he disappeared. By the time I went back there, he was already gone. Espo couldn't get him. I found Ryan lying on the floor, Javier trying to keep him alive. And to top it off, the flashlight ran out of battery", she explained in a whisper as she glanced at Jenny with emotion, who was kneeling over her husband.

"Dammit this is crazy," Rick said. "I'm glad to see you again, though."

Kate glanced at him and gave him a soft smile despite the situation.

"Me too, Castle."

"Kevin…oh my God…" Jenny cried, tears falling down her cheeks.

"Don't worry honey…I'm…I'm okay," Ryan managed to whisper as he opened his eyes to see his Jenny bending over him. His vision was blurry though. Jenny stroked his forehead that was soaked in rain and sweat. She couldn't help but cry, seeing all the blood escaping from his belly, and the stain on his shirt growing bigger every second.

"Lanie, hurry up!" Esposito said as he unbuttoned Kevin's wet and muddy shirt.

Too shocked to react at first, Lanie had finally thrown her towel and rushed to the couch. She knelt down next to the latino, and gently pushed Jenny away. Jenny moved to the arm of the couch where her husband's head was resting to let the M.E set.

"He got a bullet here," Esposito explained quickly as he pointed the wound. Lanie leaned over the body, putting the shirt apart the best she could to study the impact.

The bullet was in the lower abdomen, on the left. It was deeply sunk, Lanie could hardly see it. She placed her hands on the wound, to gently put the flesh away and try to see well. Ryan let out a cry of pain.

"Sorry Ryan, I have no choice." Lanie apologized.

"Do what…what you have to do," he managed to say, trying to catch his breath.

The wound was deep. His flesh was purple and it couldn't stop bleeding. His abdomen was covered with a mix of blood and mud. Some drops were falling on the couch and Lanie's hands were already full of it.

"I made a tourniquet the longer I could, but we were in a hurry and on the way I had to release it so…"

"You did well," she whispered to Esposito. Then she opened the Irish's lids to check his cornea. His vision was blurry and he looked absent-minded.

"He's dehydrated. Did he loose consciousness on the way?"

"No, almost…" Esposito replied. Lanie was ripping a clean piece of Ryan's shirt when he suddenly coughed and turned his head towards them.

"I'm going to die, right?" he stammered, half unconscious as he had heard their conversation.

"No bro, you're not going to die," Esposito replied immediately as Lanie was placing the piece of shirt against the wound to stop the bleeding. She was pressing as hard as she could.

"Come on, buddy…you can't lie…usually when you say something, the opposite happens…guess I'm screwed…" Kevin said with a small smile.

"Shut up, Kevin", Jenny hushed, as she kept stroking his forehead.

"What shall we do?" she added as she gave Javier and Lanie a panicked look.

"Lanie, we have to remove the bullet", Esposito said as he glanced at the brown woman. The M.E raised her eyes to his, hesitantly.

"What." He said, seeing her dubitative face.

"Javier I…I can't do this…"she stammered, with a shaky voice.

"Of course you can," he interrupted, almost aggressively. "You do it everyday."

"It's different here," she shook her head.

"So what?" he groaned. "You know how to do it!"

"Not in that condition! What about the hygiene? His only chance is the hospital", she added calmly. But Esposito's hot temper spoke for him.

"Dammit, do you see a hospital here?" he barked, overwrought. "For your information, we don't have any cars to bring him there! I can't believe you don't want to do anything!"

"Stop yelling at me! For your information, you can't operate on somebody just like that. The bullet is too deep."

"You remove bullets everyday at work, Lanie. Even worse than this one."

"But it has nothing to do with living people!" she replied irritated. "I can't even see if the bullet touched the organs. I have NOTHING to check the organs…And I have no anesthetic! No perfusion, no morphine! You want him to be in agony?"

"Better than letting him die, right?"

"If I don't clean it well, he can have septic shock, or even worse…" she continued, panicked, doing her best to calm down though.

"If you do nothing, he dies, do you realize?" Esposito said aggressively.

"Calm down, both of you", Kate interrupted, next to them.

"There's no need to yell at each other…Lanie, can't you really do something? Stitch up the wound, or…do something else?" detective Beckett asked softly. She didn't want to push her friend who was already overwhelmed by the situation.

Without answering Kate, Lanie glanced at Jenny who was crying her eyes out, as she was staring at her husband's wound. His eyes were closed, as he was half unconscious.

"Please. I'm begging you, try something," Jenny stammered, sobbing.

Lanie stared at her. Then she remembered what she had told her. She was expecting a baby. Lanie glanced at Kevin, who was shaking a little bit in his sleep. Jenny had to tell him the news. They deserved it. Finally Lanie swallowed hard and looked back at her.

"I'm going to try something for the bullet. But I want you to be aware that it might not save him…Considering the wound, and the blood he lost. And the lack of equipments…"

"Do whatever you can, I'm begging you," Jenny interrupted her before she sniffed and wiped her tears from the back of her hand.

Lanie nodded and stood up, febrile.

"All right, I'll try…Here, press on the tourniquet in my place, please."

Jenny nodded and pressed on the shirt that was already full of blood, against Ryan's abdomen. Javier looked at Lanie who had walked away. He stood up as well and watched her pacing.

She sighed heavily and looked at the ceiling for a few seconds, waiting for a sign that wouldn't come. She seemed lost, as if she didn't know where to begin. She had barely recovered from the earlier scary events in the woods and now she had to operate on Kevin or he would die on her. Lanie tried to stop thinking about the worst and gathered her courage as she rubbed her temple.

"All right…First, I need…my suitcase."

"I'll go," Alexis interrupted as she crossed the living room to take Lanie's suitcase that had been dropped in a corner.

"I have everything for pliers and stitches but I need something to anesthetize him. I only have sedatives…Castle, do you have sleeping pills?" Lanie asked.

"No…But I have bourbon!" he remembered as his eyes widened. Lanie shrugged.

"Anything else?"

"All kinds of whiskies, cognac, chartreuse…"

"All right then…Pick up the strongest one," Lanie interrupted him.

Rick nodded.

"All right. I'm going to pick it up. Let's make a special cocktail just for him," he said as he walked away.

"I'll help you, Castle", Kate offered as she followed him to the back of the living room where the bar was.

"It's not great to make him drink considering he's dehydrated but it's better than nothing to ease his pain…" Lanie said before she looked at Martha.

"Martha, I need clean towels, hot water to clean the wound. If you also have antiseptic and alcohol that will be fine…I don't think I have enough. I also need you to light more candles, because it's too dark here…"

"I got it," the actress replied as she headed to the bathroom.

"Thank you", Lanie whispered as she watched her walk away. Alexis came back with the suitcase in her hands.

"Here, I'll help grandma."

The red-haired girl walked away as Lanie opened the suitcase and let out a pair of gloves. Then she put the suitcase aside and put them on like a professional, before she glanced at Kevin. His eyes were still close and he was hardly breathing. Lanie was paralyzed as she thought she was his only chance to survive. She was panicked at the thought she would mess something up, doing this unprepared operation, and he would die because of it.

"What if I do something wrong…what if he dies…" she whispered, still staring at him. By her side, Esposito grabbed her arms and made her look at him.

"Don't think about it Lanie, you're a great doctor. I know you'll do whatever needs to be done," he assured her. Lanie shook her head and let out a bitter laugh.

"I'm not a great doctor, Javi, and certainly not a surgeon. I'm just a medical examiner who hasn't operated on living people since her internship."

He shrugged.

"So what? You do your job with your heart, it's the only thing that matters. You always know what to say to comfort families, you're great. You're passionate, determined, and I know you can save him," he said softly.

"Determination isn't enough to save lives…What if I fail? They'll all blame me. You will blame me…"she stammered.

"Never", he interrupted her as he shook his head. Lanie felt tears in her eyes. With all this, she was losing it. Javier felt guilty for yelling at her a few minutes ago.

"Lanie, listen…I'm sorry for earlier. I was aggressive and I shouldn't have…It's not your fault."

She gave him a sad smile and shook her head.

"Don't worry about it, it's forgotten. I understand why you did it, your best friend is bleeding to death on the living's couch," she said.

He shook his head.

"It's not a reason for talking to you that way." He let her arms go and stroked her hair still wet before her replaced a lock behind her ear.

"You don't deserve it, chica," he whispered as he leaned towards her. He kissed her on the forehead then he stepped back with regret. She gazed at him tenderly, surprised as she didn't expect such gesture. His face was so close…in other circumstances, she would have kiss him and tell him how much she missed him. But it wasn't the good time.

"You can do it Lanie, I believe in you", he added, snapping her out of her reverie. Lanie shook her head softly.

"I can't do this alone…Can you…Can you assist me on this operation?" she asked shyly.

He raised an eyebrow.

"You want me to help you?"

Lanie nodded.

"I need someone to give me the instruments, clean them, check on his blood pressure…"

Esposito shrugged and interrupted her.

"I guess I can do this."

Lanie smiled softly.

"Thank you."

"You're welcome…So, what do you want me to do?" he asked.

"Go wash your hands first, they're dirty…Then put them on."

She lent him a pair of blue gloves and he nodded before he headed to the kitchen's sink to wash his hands.

The M.E turned back to the couch, a little bit more confident after their talk. Martha and Alexis came back from the bathroom, with towels, covers, a kettle and another first-aid kit. They put them all on the floor next to the couch where Ryan was going to be operated and Lanie thanked them before she knelt down next to her patient.

"How do you feel?" she whispered to Ryan who had opened his eyes when he had heard someone approaching.

"Great, I'm up for tennis, what about you?" he managed to say, playful. Lanie smiled and put a hand on his forehead before she replaced Jenny for the tourniquet.

"You shouldn't stay here while I'll be operating on him, honey," she said to Jenny. "It won't be nice."

"I can't let him."

"Jenny, I don't want you to see this," Ryan interrupted with a weak voice.

Jenny seemed to hesitate, then finally let her husband's hand go. She kissed him softly on the forehead, told him to fight before she walked away from the couch, in regret.

With her latex gloves, Lanie took out a syringe from her suitcase and prepared the injection.

"I'm going to inject you benzodiazepine, a sedative. You won't sleep but at least, it will be easier for your organism."

Ryan didn't have the strength to react when she injected the product in his arm after she quickly cleaned it. Jenny had turned her head not to see it. She felt a fresh hand on her arm. Martha's.

"Come on Jenny, stay with us," the actress whispered. Jenny nodded softly and let her guide her to the kitchen, as Esposito was coming back into the room.

"Everything's going to be fine, Jenny," he whispered as he walked past them. Jenny gave him a sad smile and kept heading to the kitchen's counter where Alexis was waiting with a glass of water to comfort her.

Javier arrived to the couch and took a seat next to Lanie who was now cleaning the wound with a wet towel. White at first, it quickly turned red and stained with mud.

Rick and Kate also headed to them. The writer was proudly holding a big whisky glass full of alcohol one could have smelled from twenty meters away.

"Here, drink it Ryan."

He lent the glass to Lanie who was closer and made him drink. The Irish took a sip before he winced.

"Dammit, what did you put in here?"

"I don't want to answer", Castle said as he cleared his throat.

"Nah, better not," Kate said with a soft smile.

They went wild with the cocktail.

"You want to kill me!" Kevin teased with the little strength he had.

"Try and drink it all, Ryan…I don't want to lie to you, it will hurt. And I don't even have any morphine to ease the pain…" Lanie admitted.

"Listen to Doctor Parish, bro. You gotta be strong," Esposito chuckled.

Ryan sighed and agreed to drink the glass, before he let out a disgusted moan in the end.

"Dammit…disgusting."

"I thought Irish people loved alcohol?" Rick teased him.

"Stop considering us as alcoholics…the Scottish are, not us…" Ryan managed to say in a whisper.

Espo, Castle and Kate smiled at his joke, then Lanie gave the glass to Castle. She took out all the materials of dissection she needed from her suitcase. Then she took a deep breath, clearing her mind. Kate noticed she needed to focus so she grabbed Rick's arm.

"Come on Castle, we're going to set a chimney fire. They'll see better and it will warm us up."

Rick startled a little under her touch.

"Good idea, your skin is frozen…you look like a dead body."

"Do you think it's necessary talking about dead bodies now?" Kate said.

He winced, grinding his teeth.

"You're right. I'm sorry, that was inappropriate."

Then he turned to Esposito, Lanie and Ryan.

"Good luck, doc. Ryan, hold on buddy, okay? I want you to beat me at tennis next time", the writer said playfully.

"Count on me," Kevin said with a half smile.

Rick gave him a smile before he let Kate guide him to the chimney corner, a few meters away.

"Kate, I'm busy helping Lanie on this, so stay alert," Esposito ordered her as she walked away.

"Don't worry, I got it," she assured as she touched her gun, in her pocket.

A deafening silence was in the kitchen. Martha, Alexis and Jenny were staring at what was going on in the living room, barely breathing not to disturb Lanie.

Standing in front of the couch, Lanie felt Esposito's hand on her shoulder. She opened her eyes.

"Ready, chica? It's going to be okay", he assured in a whisper. Lanie gave him a smile and nodded even if she wasn't sure. Then she glanced at Ryan. The Irish was unconscious, knocked out by the cocktail the writer and Kate had made him drink. Good, Lanie thought as she took the first pliers, ready to move the flesh aside to search for the bullet.

.

_to be continued..._

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**n/a: When Hell-and-Bliss and I wrote the story, we imagined Lanie would have to remove the bullet...we are not doctors and know nothing about surgery so maybe it's a wrong idea to some purists...But let's just pretend that was the right thing to do at the moment, okay? ^_^ (btw, is Lanie going to save him? hmm...) Thanks for reading and stay tuned! xxx**


	21. Chapter 21

**Hi guys! A quick update today. Here is the first part of a transition chapter, after all these emotions. Stay tuned for the next ones, and thank you for your feedbacks! xxx**

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More than two hours had passed. It was completely dark outside and it was still raining. The storm wouldn't end. Some hailstones were even hitting the windows.

The candles set in the living room and the kitchen as well as the chimney fire Rick and Kate had light were warming up the manor. A delicious aroma of vegetables and meat from the kitchen invaded the living room. It could have been a normal stormy Saturday night between friends, sitting next to the chimney fire, listening to music and playing games…

But it was a completely different situation for the people in the manor.

The stress, the wait and fear were among them, at every second.

They were only on borrowed time, they knew it.

Another lightning tore the sky when Lanie Parish took off her stethoscope. Kneeling in front of the couch were Kevin Ryan was lying under a wool cover and a bandage over his abdomen, Lanie put her equipment away and turned to Jenny who had been sitting next to the couch since the end of the operation.

"His pulse is better. He seems stable. Considering the bandages, I don't think the wound is open, that means his tissues reacted well and there's no infection. It's a miracle considering the way I had to operate," she said softly.

"So, he's out of danger?" Jenny asked, her tears dry although everybody knew she could fall into again. Lanie stood up and stared at her.

"That's not what I'm saying, honey. He reacted well to the surgery and as long as he sleeps like that, it's good sign. But I only gave him a few more hours, Jenny. Without hospital care, there won't be any miracles," doctor Parish said honestly. Jenny nodded and smiled though. She gave her a hug directly.

"It's great though. Thank you so much for what you did", she whispered as she hugged her. Lanie smiled and stroked her hair before she let her go.

"I only did my job."

"You know it's more than that," Jenny said with emotion. "I want my baby to know his/her father. And I want to have the opportunity to tell Kevin the news…" she added with a shaky voice.

Lanie smiled softly and wiped her cheek where a tear had fallen down to. She was also hoping from the bottom of her heart that would happen.

Some footsteps were coming from the stairs a few meters away.

Kate Beckett, followed by Richard Castle and then Javier Esposito were coming downstairs. The two detectives had guns and were holding candles to light up the way, as Esposito's flashlight was still out of battery and they couldn't recharge it without electricity.

After Kevin's urgent operation, Kate had told them about the intruder she had met upstairs a few hours ago. Then, Rick, Javier and her had decided to check on the 2nd floor thoroughly.

Martha and Alexis, who were cooking something to eat in the kitchen, turned their heads towards them when they arrived to the living room.

"Ok, we checked everywhere," Kate said to everyone. "Nobody's here. And we closed every door and window."

"Are you sure?" Martha asked.

"Kate, I remind you everything was closed too when you went upstairs the first time," Lanie said.

"Don't worry Lanie. We checked and double checked. Everything's closed." Rick replied as he put his candle on the table of the living room.

"Yep, we shut the blinds and locked the rooms so that any access to the windows is sealed. However, as we still have no clue of how he could get into the manor, let's be careful. No one goes upstairs, understood?" Esposito said, looking at every one of his friends.

Jenny and Lanie nodded.

"No need to tell me twice," Lanie said, scared at the thought of imagining herself alone in this dark long corridor.

"Since I know somebody was there, the same for me," Alexis stammered, behind the kitchen's counter.

"I hear you, darling," her grandmother sighed as she stroked her back.

"What if we need some clothes? Our suitcases are still there…" Jenny wondered.

"We took them all out of the rooms before we locked them. They're still upstairs in the corridor but we'll get them down here," Kate replied.

Jenny nodded as Esposito glanced at his best friend, still resting on the couch.

"How is he doing?"

Lanie shrugged.

"Without hospital care in the next hours, I don't know exactly if…if he's going to be okay," she managed to say. She knew Javier and Jenny wouldn't like her answer. But that was the truth. Kevin Ryan's future was uncertain.

Kate sighed heavily.

"It makes me sick…we don't have enough spare wheels to fix even one car..."

"Added to the fact that even Gina's car had all its tires slashed. The bastard did plan everything", Rick said wearily.

"If he thinks he's going to get out like this," Esposito smirked. "Castle, how far from here is the nearest village?"

"I think it's Wainscott…" the writer said after a few seconds.

"Yes, right, I remember we passed it when we came here," Kate said as she shared a look with Lanie.

"How far is it? 15 kilometers?"

"A little bit more…more than twenty," Rick corrected.

"And we have no cars", Kate sighed as she shared a look with Espo.

"You don't have bicycles?" Javier asked Castle.

The writer shook his head.

"We brought them to New York for Central Park's cross…we were terrible by the way," he said, sharing a look with his daughter. Alexis smiled softly, remembering the event.

"We still have legs," Esposito said as he shrugged. "We can walk."

"What?" Kate reacted, raising an eyebrow.

"I said, we'd walk."

"I heard that. Are you serious?"

"Of course I am!" he said, offended. "I'm ready to walk all night under the rain if I need to, to get some help. I won't let Ryan die," the latino said, determined.

"Javi, I know you have good intentions, but it's too dangerous with the weather, and it's too far. It will take you more than a night." Kate replied.

Javier raised his eyebrows.

"So what? You prefer staying here, doing nothing?"

Kate shook her head.

"That's not what I'm saying. But it's not reasonable. Lanie, how long does he have?" she asked her friend.

Lanie glanced at Kevin, still unconscious, as she crossed her arms.

"If he's regularly hydrated, and if he's still stable…maybe one more day…but I'm not sure. I couldn't examine him more properly," she admitted.

"But you think he can hold on one more day?"

"As long as he doesn't have infection…he did well until now and his blood pressure is good considering all he went through," Lanie nodded.

"All right. So I think we must wait until the morning, just a few hours", Kate said.

"You're serious?" Javier asked.

"If Kevin can wait, better not split," she said, nodding.

"No need to split, I can go alone, I can reach Wainscott by running." Esposito said.

"With no lights, under the storm?" Kate asked.

"A few drops won't stop me. And for your information, I'm not scared of the dark, I'm a big boy," he replied. Lanie shook her head with a heavy sigh.

"Great, if you plan to get run over and your body catch pneumonia!" Lanie said, irritated by his stupid idea.

Esposito stared at her and was about to say something but Kate interrupted him.

"For your information, not only the storm and the dark, but there's a maniac outside, Espo! Have you already forgotten?" she said.

"Maybe he's gone…"

Kate and Lanie let out a bitter laugh at the same time.

"Oh yeah, and where is he? Taking a warm nap in Gina's car?!" Lanie smirked.

"Lanie is right, Espo. And I'm sure he won't leave like that. If you think about it, he killed Gina, shot Ryan, cut the electricity, slashed the tires of the cars, and he even found a way to get into the manor even if we don't know how. Do you seriously think he's going to stop now?"

"That's why we better find some help," Javier said.

"This is crazy," Lanie sighed, shaking her head.

"The girls are right, Esposito…I think he's only waiting for one thing…that we split so we get weaker," Rick interrupted.

"Exactly," Kate nodded. "And you're telling me you want to go alone in the dark to find some help? For your record, we don't have any flashlights and almost no ammo…that's a very bad idea", detective Beckett said, persuasive.

Javier Esposito said nothing but sighed. He couldn't deny it.

"You know it well, Javier, splitting is always a bad idea. We better stay together, taking care of each other," Castle added.

"I know, you're right…" the latino admitted with a sigh. "It's just that I don't want him to die and then tell myself we could have done something to prevent it," he said as he glanced at Kevin.

"No need to say I agree…" Jenny whispered, feeling shivers down her spine at the thought she could lose him.

Next to her, Kate softly stroked her arm.

"He won't die, Jenny. We'll do everything we can. But if we split tonight, it will only get things worse."

"I know, don't worry", Jenny replied.

"So, in your opinion what shall we do?" Esposito said.

"We wait until the morning. We check on Ryan's condition, and some of us keep watching over while the others sleep. Then we make shift. And tomorrow, at the first rays of light, we go get some help." Kate decided.

"I'm okay with that," Esposito nodded.

"Me too," Castle said.

"That's the best thing to do. As long as we stay together, we're safe," Kate added.

.

_to be continued..._


	22. Chapter 22

**Hi people! Here's the second chapter of the transition part. We were thinking that they all needed a break after these emotions. :) Hope you'll enjoy your reading! xxx**

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"All right, now, come on, let's eat something," Martha said from behind the kitchen's counter. "Look at you, you're all overwhelmed, exhausted. Alexis and I prepared something to eat, with the leftovers and the canapés…it wasn't easy to warm this up without electricity but thank God we had the emergency gas cooker left. Of course it won't be a five-star cooking but…"

"It will be perfect, Martha, thank you so much", Kate interrupted her, smiling.

"I also made some soup for Kevin when he wakes up," the actress said, looking at Jenny.

"Thank you Martha, that's adorable," the pretty blond girl replied, touched.

"No need to thank me, honey. We're going to take good care of your husband. Before he wakes up, what about you eating something?" Martha asked her as she invited her to take a seat at the counter. Jenny nodded and took a seat. She was starving because of her pregnancy, and even if she mostly wanted to stay near her husband at the couch to watch over him, she knew the best thing to do for now was eating something as she was exhausted and her stomach was gurgling.

Martha offered her a plate while Rick came to the counter.

"I'm starving too…and it looks delicious," he smiled to his mother. He kissed her on the forehead before he headed to Alexis who was stirring something in a pot at the bottom end of the kitchen. Kate watched them with a soft smile.

"Are you okay, sweetheart?" he whispered, stroking her long red hair.

"No", she replied honestly, still stirring the vegetables as if it helped her taking her mind off all this.

"I know you're scared, Alexis. But I promise you we're going to be fine," he whispered. Alexis raised her blue eyes to his and shook her head.

"I'm not even thinking about me…I'm worried about Royal. He has never run away before. Even the first day, he was gone for ten minutes and then we heard him knocking at the door. He knew that was his home. So why isn't he coming back? It's been hours," she stammered, her voice trailing off.

Rick sighed. He wished he could tell he would come back soon, but as the hours passed, he wasn't sure of it.

"Do you think…the guy who killed Gina…hurt him too?" she asked, fearing the answer.

"No, sweetheart. I don't think so…I think he got lost because of the storm, but he's a dog, Alexis. He has instinct. I'm sure he found a safe place and he's just waiting for the storm to end so he can come back."

"Your father's right, Alexis," Kate interrupted as she approached them. She grabbed a bottle of wine and glasses to serve everyone.

"Royal is a clever dog. Besides, Golden Retrievers are extremely resistant to the cold and rain. Maybe he's lost but he'll be back," Kate said as she gave the young girl a soft smile. Alexis smiled back at her but she wasn't so sure. She was missing his pet so much.

"Rick, would you like a drink?" Kate offered.

"I think I need some, yes," he said, accepting.

"Me too, after everything that happened," Kate admitted.

"Something's bugging me though," the writer said as he took a piece of carrot from Alexis's pot.

"What?" the detective asked as she filled a glass with wine.

"Do you really think it's the same person? I mean…He killed Gina…in a horrible way. He slaughtered her. But then, using a gun to shoot you? It's not logical..."

"Is that all that's bugging you, seriously?" Martha asked, surprised, as she served a plate to Jenny.

"I'm just saying I can't figure out his psychological profile, with these contradictions."

"I don't need 5 years of psychology to understand he's a maniac…it's enough for me to get him under arrest," Kate said as she took an olive before she lent him the glass. Rick took it and followed her to the table at the end of the kitchen.

"You're right," Rick said as he took a seat in front of her.

"Are you okay?" the detective asked him, gazing at him. He frowned.

"What do you mean?"

"You know, with Gina's murder. I know how hard it must have been for you, to see her like this."

"Well…" He sighed heavily as he seemed hesitant. "I guess I'm not." Then he shrugged. "But what can I say? She's gone. There's nothing I can do to change that. I guess I have to accept it. I just don't understand who did this, but what bothers me the most, is imagining he could hurt Alexis, Martha or…even you", he admitted shyly. Kate felt her heart skip a beat and her cheeks blush, but she did her best to hide her emotions as she dropped her eyes to her glass of wine. Then she raised her look again and gave him a sweet smile.

"To be honest, I don't want you to get hurt either, Castle", she replied. "I'll do everything I can so he won't approach you," she added.

"I trust you on that," he whispered, lost in her green eyes.

While Castle and Beckett were having a one-to-one discussion in the kitchen, Martha and Jenny were chatting and eating something at the kitchen's counter and Alexis was cooking vegetables thinking about Royal, Javier noticed that Lanie was checking on Kevin for long minutes now. She was watching the Irish sleeping on the couch. As if she was hoping he would wake up, to prove her she did a great job and he was safe, thanks to her.

"Yo."

Crossing her arms, Lanie turned her head and saw Javier Esposito walking towards her.

"Everything's okay?"

She nodded.

"He's breathing normally. The more I think about it, the more I think maybe the bullet touched his spleen, and he might need a splenectomy. Of course he can live without it, but…"

"Lanie", he interrupted her. Lanie looked at him.

"I meant you. I was asking if everything's fine for you," Javier replied with a soft smile.

"Oh", Lanie said, swallowing hard. "Well, to be honest…Not so much," she admitted, dropping her eyes. "I'm afraid…I'm afraid I didn't do everything that needed to be done for Kevin", she managed to say.

Javier rolled his eyes.

"Don't think about it. I saw you doing the surgery. You did everything you could, now stop torturing yourself," he whispered. Lanie looked at him for a few seconds before she smiled softly.

"Thank you for assisting me on this, earlier," she whispered shyly.

"You're welcome. So, do you think I rock as a surgery assistant?" he asked, trying to make her smile again.

"You're not bad at all," she admitted. "Very competent. You missed your vocation," she teased.

"All right, then, when Kevin is out of danger, I'll help you all the time at the morgue," he said, proud of him.

"If we are all out of danger, you mean", Lanie corrected, giving him a concerned look.

"Why wouldn't we?"

"Oh, I don't know…Maybe because a maniac who loves torturing people in the woods is chasing us?" she said sarcastically as she looked at him. Javier knew every time she was afraid, she always tried to hide it with humor.

"He won't hurt you," he said as he shook his head.

"How can you be so sure?"

"Because I won't let him to," he replied with determination. Lanie was taken aback by his honest answer. She smiled as they gazed at each other for a moment. They were all alone in this part of the living room, while Jenny, Martha, Castle, Kate and Alexis were trying to relax in the kitchen.

"Well, of course, except if…he kills me before," he added with humor to break the awkward silence between them. Lanie gave him the eye.

"It's not funny."

"Yeah…" he said as he cleared his throat.

Finally Lanie couldn't help but smiled. She even missed his humor -sometimes lame, though.

Gazing at each other, they forgot for a few seconds the bad turn of events. Not only the way their weekend turned bad, of course, but also how their relationship has been for the last months.

"Javier, I wanted to tell you…" Lanie began as she bit her lips.

"Yes?" he said, taking a step towards her.

"I know it hasn't always been simple between us lately, but…"

She didn't even look at him, focusing on her shoes as if they suddenly looked interesting.

"But…" he repeated impatiently, waiting for her to finish her sentence. Lanie ran a hand through her hair and scratched her temple to find her words.

"But I think…I think I really need a hug right now, after all this", she managed to say, finally raising her eyes to his.

She didn't even know how she managed to look at him, or finish her phrase. But she did. And what comforted her is seeing Esposito smile back at her and stepping further.

"Come here," he whispered as he opened his arms. Lanie leaned against him a few seconds after. She wrapped her arms around his waist and leaned her head against Esposito's torso. She felt him closing his arms around her body and resting his chin on her hair, cuddling her gently as she was intoxicated by the scent of his polo-shirt.

"Thank you."

"You don't have to thank me…I have to admit I like it too," he teased, closing his eyes.

He felt Lanie smile against his torso. Then she raised her head towards him and looked at him, still in his arms.

"I know it sounds horrible to say that, but…I'm glad you weren't hurt during the shot. I know it's unfair for Ryan, but if it had been you…I would have been crazy," she admitted in a whisper.

"I'm sure you would have saved me, anyway."

Lanie let out a laugh.

"I'm sure I wouldn't."

"What? You would have let me die?" he said, frowning.

"I wouldn't have been able to see you like this…I think I wouldn't have been able to grab a scalpel or a needle…it would have killed me. And by the time I'd get a grip, you would have time to die ten times at least," she admitted.

Seeing how much it affected her to think about it, he nodded and decided to comfort her.

"Shh, stop thinking about it, Lanie. I'm fine," he whispered, rubbing her back. Then he kissed her on the forehead, and Lanie put her head against his torso again, next to his neck. The silence remained for a few seconds until the feelings were too strong and Lanie let her heart speak.

"I miss you, Javi," she admitted, in a barely audible voice. But he had heard her. He felt a shiver down his spine.

"I miss you too, chica," he replied, cuddling her, tracing circles on her back with his fingertips.

Then he stroked her long dark hair endlessly and Lanie closed her eyes against him, enjoying his touch. Feeling him so close was all she ever needed.

"You know I could fall asleep right now…" she admitted after a few seconds of silence, in a sleepy voice.

He smiled and stepped back a little.

"I could be your mattress, baby…But not now."

She frowned a little, surprised by his words but let him grab her hand.

"Come on, you need to eat something," he added as he leaded her to the kitchen. She followed him, gazing at him tenderly as he intertwined his fingers to hers.

.

_to be continued..._


	23. Chapter 23

**Hi people! Thank you so much for the feedbacks. Today is the transition's last part. After that...hmm hmm you'll see. So here's a looooong chapter, we hope Esplanie and Caskett shippers will like it... ;) Enjoy! xxx**

* * *

After their dinner improvised under the light of some candles in the kitchen, the people of the manor had decided to do their best to relax – or at least try. Martha Rogers had offered to organize some games next to the chimney fire. The group had played Times Up's games, except for Jenny who had preferred watching over her husband and looking at them playing.

Kevin had hardly woken up after dinner, and Lanie had changed the bandages and checked his blood pressure, before Jenny made him eat some soup Martha had prepared for him. Then he had fallen asleep again and hadn't woken up since.

When his watch turned 2 am, Javier Esposito sighed heavily. He was exhausted and it felt like time didn't fly at all.

A few hours had passed and no threat had appeared for the group. No strange visitors, no sound, no suspicious move around the garden.

It was completely quiet except for the storm and the rain that had formed puddles that were now almost overflowing in the garden and the woods.

Rick, Kate and Javier had agreed to make shifts during the night, and this time it was Rick's turn…Kate went to the bathroom to take a shower after her night's watch and Javier knew he should rest and recharge his batteries while Rick was watching over…But he just couldn't. The situation was too stressing and awkward, and he mostly feared something would happen during his sleep.

Lying on a mattress in the middle of the living room between the two couches set for the occasion, Javier couldn't find some sleep.

The living room where they were all gathered was too dark and quiet for the latino who couldn't help but listen to every sound. The chimney fire was lighting up the room a little and the candles were lighting up the kitchen where Rick Castle was sitting. He was at the table, holding his head with one hand while he was writing something on a paper with the other, focused. He was scribbling, crossing off, writing again…But Esposito didn't know what he was doing exactly.

In the living room, Jenny had fallen asleep, sitting next to Ryan, and was holding his hand in her sleep, her head on the side. On the other couch, Martha and Alexis were sleeping, hugging each other under a woolen cover. They were exhausted after their day full of emotions.

After looking at every of them a few seconds, Javier looked back at the person who was sharing his mattress on the floor, next to the couches. Lanie Parish. The young woman was lying on the side, facing him. She was sleeping, a hand next to her face that made her look like a little girl. Javier smiled. The sound of her breathing was deep and serene.

Esposito loved focusing on her breathing. It reminded him she was alive, as what he feared the most in that story was losing her. Of course he wouldn't tell her, despite their earlier conversation and the fact they were getting closer again. He remembered the way she asked him to give her a hug and smiled at the thought. He had been too shy to ask her himself, even though he had also wanted it so much after all these events. Especially when they had found Gina's body. Javier wanted to hold Lanie against him and never let her go…until that story would end. And even after, all things considered.

After the dinner in the kitchen, Lanie and he had stayed together, talking and smiling like they used to. As if they were still together. When everyone went to sleep, it sounded natural for them to lie on the mattress next to each other. Then Lanie had fallen asleep, exhausted by Ryan's operation, but mostly feeling secured he was lying next to her. She had even grabbed his hand and hadn't let it go until she had fallen asleep.

Despite the horror of the earlier events, Javier couldn't help but think that no matter what happened, Lanie and he had sort of got closer again.

He kept gazing at her for long minutes and smiled as he remembered one particular memory. A memory when, that day, they were sharing the same mattress, but under different circumstances.

_ (n/a: music suggestion: Habits - Maria Mena)_

_Flashback_

_"Okay, my turn now…" Lanie Parish said, staring at the ceiling as she was tracing circles on Esposito's bare chest, where her head was resting. They were in the young woman's bedroom, their bodies only covered with a white sheet. Their legs were intertwined to each other as if their bodies only made one. Javier had put his arm around Lanie's back, and the other hand was stroking her long dark hair while Lanie kept looking at the ceiling, smiling. Her head was slightly moving under the rhythm of Javier's breathing._

_"I'm scared," Esposito said with a smile as he felt her smiling too against her torso. They loved playing a game about asking questions about their past, to get to know each other, and keep no secrets. A "game" they created at the very first start of their relationship. Even one year later, they still loved asking questions and learning from each other._

_"Mmm…the first girl you ever kissed? A French kiss, I mean of course."_

_Javier rolled his eyes and sighed heavily._

_"Come on, not this one," he sighed before he let out a laugh._

_"Why?" Lanie asked, frowning. "I told you mine."_

_"Yeah, the one you called Whelk-boy?"_

_"Absolutely."_

_"Poor guy", Esposito laughed._

_"He deserved it. So, what about you, who was it?"_

_"Seriously, it's not interesti…"_

_"Come on, Javier, please!" Lanie interrupted him as she pinched his torso softly. Then she raised her look to his. Their faces were so close. She gazed at every inch of his skin, his freckles, wrinkles or scars, his eyes. He was far from being perfect but Lanie loved every of his physical imperfections that made him look incredibly sexy to her._

_"Fine," he sighed. "Since you leave me no choice," he said, rubbing his cheeks with a hand. "I was in 7__th__ grade…Her name was Elena," he began._

_"Elena," Lanie repeated with a smile. "Was she pretty?"_

_"More than that. All the boys in junior were crazy in love with her, she deserved it."_

_"I see. You dated a stunner, then."_

_"Why are you talking in past tense? I am dating a stunner…" he whispered, playfully as he kissed her softly on the forehead. Lanie let him do so and smiled._

_"Well done, Casanova…but let's go back to Elena. So, why didn't you want to talk about your first kiss with the most beautiful girl of junior school?"_

_Before he answered, he let out another heavy sigh._

_"Because it was a major fail." He admitted. "We were in the middle of the playground, everybody was looking at us…and after we kissed, she burst into laughter for at least ten minutes…and I stood there like an ass, paralyzed in the middle of the crowd while she kept laughing at me._

_"Oh," Lanie reacted, softened. She couldn't help but let out a laugh._

_"Go ahead, laugh at me too. I was traumatized. And then, no other girls would want to kiss me after that episode", he admitted, thinking about this painful memory. _

_"Poor thing…" Lanie whispered to him as she rose slightly so that her face would be close to his. He turned his head towards her and saw her gazing at him with a smile._

_"Forget about her, you did make some improvements," she whispered as she leaned to him before she brushed his lips with hers._

_"Oh, yeah, you think so?" he whispered against her mouth._

_"The judges are unanimous," she said as she opened her mouth, ready to intensify the kiss. But Javier was quicker and kissed her hungrily before she could do it first. He felt her laugh against his lips and then ended the kiss._

_"See? You're laughing at me when I kiss you," he said as he gave her a skeptical look._

_Lanie smiled again and rolled her eyes._

_"It's only because you make me happy, silly", she admitted in a soft voice._

_Javier raised an eyebrow in surprise and couldn't help but grinned._

_"Is it true?" he asked._

_"No it's a lie, I only said that to see that stupid smile on your face," she said ironically, her eyes brilliant._

_He rolled his eyes._

_"Lanie Parish, you're so merciless to me", he whispered before he kissed her again._

_"You have no idea…" she added against his lips. Still kissing him, she went on top of him and replaced her legs around the latino's body. Then she placed her hands on Esposito's cheeks and took her face between her palms to kiss him more passionately. He ran his hands on her back, caressing the black fabric of her baby doll. _

_When they were almost breathless, Lanie broke the kiss but still held his cheeks._

_"What was that for?" he said, trying to catch his breath._

_"To make you forget that Elena definitely", she said. "Hope it worked?"_

_Javier gave her a beautiful smile and caressed her cheek with the back of his hand. Her long dark hair was sticking to her skin and he replaced a lock between her ear, gazing hungrily at her._

_"I forgot about her a long time ago, you know. I forgot them all…Since I'm with you", he admitted in a whisper. Lanie read the truth in his eyes. She felt chills down her spine but kept smiling and nodding. She felt so overwhelmed by his words she was blushing._

_"Nice one, Romeo. Where did you steal that sentence?" she teased._

_"Were you serious when you said I make you happy?" he asked, avoiding the question._

_Lanie nodded and sighed._

_"If I weren't serious, I wouldn't be there lying above you and kissing you to try and make you forget the worst memory of your childhood," she replied with a smile._

_Javier smiled back at her._

_"And do you remember what you told me the night of our first date?" he asked, stroking her hip with one hand while the other was still stroking her cheek._

_Lanie seemed to think about it and let his cheeks go._

_"That you were right to put your red tie?"_

_He chuckled._

_"Right…and?"_

_Lanie bit her lips and shrugged._

_"Fine, let me refresh your memory, doc."_

_"Yes please," she said._

_"You told me that you came because you had nothing better to do, because your supposedly first date had canceled at last minute. And then, when I started to flirt with you…"_

_"You've been flirting with me for one year," Lanie corrected._

_"Come on, don't play with words and let me finish…" Esposito said, amused. "When I started to flirt with you that night, you warned me. You told me not to get any false hopes, that we had nothing in common and we weren't matching astrologically speaking. You said that you and me it couldn't work because, one more thing, I wasn't your type."_

_When he finished his explanation, Lanie frowned and grinded her teeth._

_"What, did I really say all that?" she said. Actually, she did remember everything._

_"Yes you did, and I haven't forgotten a word of everything you told me one year ago, Doctor Parish."_

_Still sitting on top of him, Lanie sighed and grabbed Javier's hands._

_"All right…So, what's your point Mister I-have-an-elephant-memory"?_

_He shrugged._

_"I'm just happy I managed to make you change your mind about that…and that I'm your type, in the end," he teased. Lanie smiled but said nothing, feeling a little bit uncomfortable for remembering she actually told him that._

_"By the way, when did you start changing your mind, about us?"_

_Lanie bit her lips nervously and smiled._

_"To be honest…the night of our first date, when you walked me home, at my door."_

_He raised his eyebrows, surprised by her answer but let her finish._

_"You were not insisting, you just made sure that I was safe in my apartment, and you left when I locked my door…without asking for anything else, or trying something…That's what I liked about you and made me want to see you again", she admitted in a whisper, her eyes locked to his._

_He swallowed hard, touched, and then spoke again._

_"Well, since we're honest with each other…I have to admit that I fought hard the urge to jump at you that night," he said, making her bursting into laughter. He shivered, hearing the sound of her particular laugh._

_"Well, you should have tried."_

_He shook his head._

_"No. First of all, you would have slapped me hard if I had tried anything…"_

_"Probably," Lanie said truthfully._

_"And, second, I would have ruined everything," he said. "And I really wanted to make you change your mind about us."_

_Lanie gazed at him, softened._

_"And, if we're still together, one year later, I guess I did well, right?" he asked proudly._

_Lanie seemed to think about it as she stared at the ceiling._

_"Mmm…"_

_He held her hands tighter in his to make her react._

_"Hey!" he groaned, raising his eyebrows. She smiled at him and leaned over him._

_"It didn't take me long to change my mind about us," she whispered before she kissed him. Javier let her hands go and took her face between his palms, while she put her hands on his bare muscular shoulders._

_"Good. Because I'm completely in love with you. And I already know I won't be able to keep you off my mind, doctor," he whispered, gazing at her. He was still stroking her cheeks, Lanie's face was so close to his, their foreheads touching each other while their nose were almost brushing._

_"It's a good thing since I don't want to be out of your mind, detective," she replied in a whisper before she caught his lips again. They intensified the kiss and their breath while their tongues melt with each other._

_Lanie fell on the other side of the bed, pulling Javier to her. He made sure of not weighing too much on her when he lied on top of her, before he buried his head into her neck._

_End of Flashback._

Two months after that, they broke up. How did they get there? Javier sighed bitterly. He had watched Lanie sleep all along, and thinking about this memory broke his heart since now, he didn't have the right to touch her. But one thing for sure, if they got out of here, he would do anything to save their relationship and go back to what they were. After all, he managed to make her change her mind at that time…He would do anything to convince her again today.

Javier finally stopped gazing at Lanie and looked at the hallway that leaded to the bathroom, where a soft light came from. Kate Beckett had just finished her shower and was crossing the hallway, holding a candle in her hand.

She headed to Rick Castle who was still focusing on his papers, in the kitchen.

The writer raised his look from his papers when Kate put the candle on the kitchen's table and took a seat next to him. Feeling her presence, he stopped his scribbles for a second and gazed at the muse of his books. Her hair was still wet and some locks were falling over her shoulders. She barely had makeup on and looked tired but still, she looked beautiful. For him, she always would be.

Aware he was staring at her, Kate decided to speak to break the silence, although she felt flattered.

"What are you doing?"

He blinked, taken aback and looked back at his papers.

"Oh, this…I was thinking about everything that happened to us since. I'm trying to find some leads, to figure out who can be behind all this. I think this is the only way to get out of this situation."

"You wrote a lot," detective Beckett said as she pointed at the sheet where she could read some words, crossing-outs, and some sort of a drawing on the whole page. "So, what do you think about it?"

Rick sighed heavily and ran a hand through his face, as he was frustrated and exhausted. "Nothing special, actually. The more I think about it, the more I don't get why…why he killed her."

"Gina," Kate whispered.

"Why her, why…why he did this. Why here, in these woods," he sighed, in a barely audible voice. "The car lights were still on, showing the body prominently. As if…as if he really wanted us to find the body there…like that."

He stopped, thinking about the vision of horror they had a few hours ago, again.

"It's certainly a cuckoo who did this," she said, "or a bad encounter, at the wrong moment…"

Castle shook his head. "No, I don't think so. She was…raped." He said, swallowing, as he hardly managed to tell the facts. "But considering all her wounds, the stabs, for me it was a slaughter. If you had seen…how her body was displayed, like a scenery," he added, widening his eyes, as he almost couldn't believe it himself. "It can't be a coincidence. And then, for Ryan too."

Kate puckered up her lips. She could imagine Gina's body well, as she had already faced so many victims in the past, who were killed the same way. It was always difficult when it was somebody you knew. Even Gina. She didn't know her that much, but the fact that Rick knew her personally had an effect on her. She cleared her throat, trying to find a rational explanation to all this.

"Maybe…maybe what happened to Ryan has nothing to do with Gina, maybe it's just a coincidence. I don't know, a hunter, a random shot…somebody who got lost, who got scared when he felt our presence and just shot randomly because he freaked out," she said, trying to think of the events. But she wasn't convinced herself of what she was saying.

"Nonsense. You told me yourself, it was an ambush. He shot you. And the bullet that hurt Kevin, it was a premeditated shot, not an accident."

He sighed and held his head between his hands, completely tormented.

Kate nodded as she realized he was right, and stroked gently his shoulder to comfort him. It wasn't enough though, she wanted to do so much more. She had never seen him like that, so disconcerted, vulnerable. Except for maybe…the day she got shot herself. At that moment when she fell down to the floor, in that cemetery, a bullet locked in her chest. When he had leaned over her, tears filling his eyes, without knowing what to do. He had revealed his feelings, terrified at the thought of losing her without telling her the way he felt. Like a last confession to someone who was going to die… Her heart ached as she remembered that moment and as she saw the sad look on his face right now. It was obvious that he still cared about Gina. He still got her under his skin. How could she blame him anyway? She had been his wife, she had shared his life, she had made him what he was, a successful writer.

"You still loved her," Kate whispered, thinking he wouldn't hear. But he did. Rick raised his look to hers and shook his head.

"Why are you saying this?"

Kate's eyes widened, as she regretted immediately saying this out loud. "I mean…it's normal after all, she was a part of your life and she had made you become the man you are today," she managed to say.

"No Kate, if I became a writer it's only because of my undeniable talent," he said slightly, making her rolling her eyes. Despite the circumstances, he always found a way to joke.

"Castle, it's not funny."

"No it's not, I know. I loved Gina, Kate. I really loved her and I thought at that time that our marriage could work. We didn't agree on everything, but she had a fiery temperament, and she was caring. So, of course I'd lie to you if I said I don't care about her death. Because I do. I still had affection for her…but I try to hide it. For Alexis, for my mother…I don't want to fail in front of them. And I want to get them out of this."

Kate smiled.

"I understand. And I know she meant a lot to you, I know how hard it must have been. I think she cared a lot about you too…I could tell by the way she looked at you, yesterday. Or when you two went to the Hamptons two years ago…I still can remember the smile you had when you looked at her…" Kate whispered, remembering that day at the precinct when she had seen them go together, holding each other's arm.

Rick frowned, surprised by her words. Kate stopped talking, hardly believing she had said that. What an idiot. How could she allow herself telling him all this, judging, and acting like a jealous woman in such situation?

"I'm sorry…I'm way out of line," she apologized as she replaced a lock of hair behind her ear to regain composure.

"It's okay," Rick said, looking down at his paper.

"No it's not, you just lost someone close, in the most atrocious kind of way and I'm there, telling you things that…that are none of my business instead of being here for you and giving you my support."

"But you are here, Kate. And thank God you are."

He had said that in a soft tone. Kate raised her eyes to his and they shared a look in silence. Then Rick broke the moment and grinned.

"What's so funny?" Kate asked.

"You seem to be jealous."

Kate startled as she heard him and felt her temperature rising. "Not at all."

"Yes you are," Castle nodded as he looked at her right in the eye. "I think it's…cute. But after all these years I spent by your side, you should know by now that Gina and I, it's history."

She replied nothing, feeling uncomfortable for letting her feelings being so clear.

"That's not the point," she tried to change the subject. "I mean, this is not the place and the time to talk about this…"

"You brought the subject, I had to follow you on this one," he corrected, slightly leaning his head on the side.

"Well, this conversation should stop now," Kate replied, shaking her head.

"We're stuck in that house for a long time, without electricity nor way to escape. Don't you think it's the good time to talk?" Castle said, raising an eyebrow.

"We better think again of a way to catch the guy who did this," she said, tapping nervously on Castle's paper, trying to make him focus on it again. That's when she felt Rick grabbing her hand.

"Kate."

The feeling of his warm fingers against hers gave her goose bumps.

"Castle…"

She wanted to turn her head away, but he was holding her hand strongly. She had no way to escape. Why would she anyway? Where? The living room? That would be ridiculous. And a part of her didn't want to go either.

"Kate, after all these years, following you at the precinct, being there for you, you still don't get it?" Rick whispered, searching for her look.

She bit her lips in a way Rick found absolutely sexy and shook her head.

"I got it, Castle. Perfectly. And I think you know it too. The problem is…the walls I've built around me are still there, sort of…"

"What should I do to make them tumble down?"

Kate gazed at him, taken aback by his question. She opened her mouth but the words wouldn't come out. Finally, she shook her head.

"No, we can't talk about this now…"

"You'd rather die, burying your secret with you?" he said softly. Kate frowned. Of course not, but…

"If something ever happened to you…I need to know why, why after all this time, I can be nothing but a friend to you."

His words, his voice, his look…Kate swallowed hard and dropped her eyes again. He was still holding her hand in his.

"I don't know…if you're ready to hear what I have to say. It's extremely difficult for me…" she admitted. Rick shrugged and held her hand tighter.

"Just try. And whatever it is…for your information, after everything that happened lately, I don't think I could blame you."

Kate smiled softly hearing those words and softened by his tired look. She only wanted one thing, to hug him tight. But she wouldn't be able do it, unless she told him her secret. One of the reasons why her walls wouldn't fall definitely. Because she was too afraid of his reaction.

Feeling her heart sink at the thought he could blame her, Kate took a deep breath and looked at her hand he was still holding in his, to regain courage and finally speak.

"All right. Since you want to talk about it…I owe you the truth first…" she said hesitantly. "Rick, I haven't been completely honest with you."

He frowned, curious. Kate's face was so tensed he dreaded what she was about to reveal.

"The thing is I'm scared to ruin everything, if I tell you the truth."

"Just try," Rick said.

"I remember," she blurted finally in a whisper.

She couldn't look at him as she already regretted what she had just said. She wasn't even sure he had heard her, as she had spoken so fast. The silence remained and she couldn't raise her head up, dreading the writer's reaction.

"You remember…" Castle repeated, to be sure he understood what she was talking about.

"The gunfire at the cemetery," she admitted in a barely audible voice. "Everything…I, I lied, I'm sorry."

He didn't reply and kept staring at her. She couldn't move or say anything more. He was still holding her hand in his though, but she thought he was going to let it go brutally and glare at her with hatred, tell her she was nothing but a manipulator, that she played with his feelings all along, that she shouldn't be able to look at herself in the mirror. He would be mad at her and she would deserve it. She knew it, and she would accept it. Her whole life was just a lie.

"You have every reason to hate me, Rick. The truth is…my life is a mess. My mother died, Captain Montgomery died…and then I got shot and I almost died myself. I remember you, leaning on me, telling me you loved me like a reason for me to hold on to life, although I was feeling I was dying."

She was speaking so fast, feeling tears in her eyes as she couldn't control it.

"And then I woke up in that hospital. Alive. And since that day, the fear was there. A knot in my guts, that's still here." She said, putting her fist under her chest. "So when you came to me that day…I was completely lost. I just couldn't…I lied, thinking it would be easier for everyone, especially for me. But I realize how wrong it was."

She finally stopped talking, trying to study his reaction. Castle remained silent, as if he needed time to understand what she had just told him.

"Rick?" she said hesitantly.

He seemed lost in tracks. After a moment of silence, he finally sighed.

"I guess…I guess I knew it, in some way. I had doubts," he admitted too as he stared at her right in the eye. She couldn't tell whether he was angry or just disappointed. Her own eyes were full of tears, as she was so ashamed of herself.

"I feel like a crap…I'm so sorry if only you knew. But the more time passed and the more I was telling myself I wouldn't be able to lie to you any longer. But somewhat, I couldn't tell you. I…I just couldn't…" she said, dropping her eyes in shame. But then she felt Castle's fingers touching her chin and lifting it up to make her look at him. He stroked her cheek gently to wipe a tear that had just fallen.

"The most important now is that you're honest now," he said as he played with Kate's hand he was still holding. He intertwined his fingers to hers.

"You don't hate me?" she asked shyly, as she couldn't believe he was taking the news so differently from what she had imagined.

He sighed and replied nothing, dropping his eyes and finally releasing her hand. Kate closed her eyes and felt her heart sink. She had ruined everything.

"Rick, I…"

Then she felt Rick's hands gently but firmly touch her face. Surprised, she opened her eyes to see the writer's lips brushing hers before he kissed her passionately. He had already kissed her before but this time, it was different. She opened her mouth, letting the writer's tongue enter and melt with hers. An electrifying contact that made her feel butterflies in her stomach. She put her hands in his hair, pulling him even closer to her. When Rick stepped back to end the kiss and take his breath, their foreheads were still against each other as their eyes were shut.

"What do you think?" he whispered, his palms still holding detective Beckett's cheeks.

He opened his eyes and met her brilliant look. She nodded and smiled at him. He smiled back at her and then she took the initiative to kiss him again, and again, and again. She had waited for that moment for too long. She brushed his lips, teasing him, and kissed him again. It wasn't the right place or the right time but nothing could stop them. Not even detective Esposito who had secretly captured this moment of intimacy from the living room, a smile on his lips.

Kate's body was feverish; she could have let herself go in his arms, right now in this kitchen.

Suddenly a deafening sound broke the silence that had remained in the manor until now. Hearing that, Rick and Kate finally stepped back from each other, still feeling dizzy.

.

_to be continued..._


	24. Chapter 24

**Hello dearest readers! thank you so much for your kind reviews, i'm glad you liked the Esplanie and Caskett moments. :) Now, the transition is over, let's go back to the horror...*Warning: the following scene may include some shocking stuff. Animal lovers, hell-and-bliss and I are truly sorry for this chapter. Be prepared and please keep in mind it's just a story :D**

* * *

_Suddenly a deafening sound broke the silence that had remained in the manor until now. Hearing that, Rick and Kate finally stepped back from each other, still feeling dizzy._

_(n/a: music suggestion: Lux Aeterna - Clint Mansell from 2:00 to 6:31)_

"What the…?" Rick said, frowning as he stood up and headed to the kitchen's window.

Kate followed his steps, alert. In the living room everybody woke up with a jolt – except for Ryan, still unconscious. They slowly headed to the large bay window.

A light was coming from outside. And the sound was a car's horn that wouldn't stop blasting.

Leaning over his shoulder to see what was going on outside, Kate whispered to Rick: "It's him…He's back..."

"It's a car," Rick said, hardly believing it as he frowned. Because of the bad weather, he couldn't see clearly the shapes, but there was no doubt. It was a dent car, full lights on, whose horn had been tampered so it would blast non stop.

"Lanie, I think it's yours…" Kate said as she glanced at her friend. The ME felt shivers down her spine.

"Oh my God…He…he wrecked my car! It's a mess…" the ME realized, her voice shaking. "How did he do this?" she asked, horrified at the thought the maniac could have broken into her car.

But there was more…on the car's hood, there was something. It was a big light mass. Rick frowned. That "thing" looked familiar…

He felt shivers down his spine as he realized what it was exactly. That mass, put on the car's hood, where there was a mix of blood and rain...

Behind him, Kate had also understood and put a hand at her mouth to hold back a scream.

It was Royal's body. Kay's dog.

Someone screamed in the living room, making the people of the manor startle. It was Alexis, who had seen from the living room's window her most loyal friend lying in a purple puddle on the sordid hood of Lanie's car that had been wrecked.

The golden retriever had bled to death and his mouth was opened, smashed. His entrails were flowing on the hood.

The teenage girl couldn't believe her own eyes. It was abominable. She couldn't control her screams anymore, becoming almost hysterical.

"Oh my God…Royal…How? How could he do this to him?" she cried, devastated.

Rick and Martha wanted to rush to her but Lanie was faster.

"Calm down, honey…" she whispered.

She tried to take her in her arms and walk her away from the window, hugging her tight against her chest and stroking her hair. But she wouldn't calm down. Lanie herself felt tears in her own eyes. How could anyone do that to a poor dog? Martha had slumped into the couch, as well as Jenny, both of them pale, horrified. Standing next to the window and feeling powerless, Esposito turned back to the kitchen, seeing Rick and Kate joining them running. They were all in shock.

"What the hell does that maniac want from us…"Kate said, devastated.

"Do you need a diagram?" Esposito snorted. "How can someone do this atrocity?" he added, shaking his head.

"Why killing a dog?" Kate sighed.

Lanie looked at her friend, tears filling her eyes and shook her head, helpless. Alexis stepped back from the ME, trying to catch her breath. She was sobbing uncontrollably, her knees shaking. But she couldn't help watching through the window, staring at the body. Rick couldn't bear seeing her like that any longer. He walked towards her and Lanie let her go so her father could take her in his arms.

"Shh…sweetheart, stop crying," he whispered, stroking Alexis's long red hair.

"It's abo…minable…Dad, he was so…nice", she hiccupped, sniffing.

Rick replied nothing, shocked as well, and shared a frustrated look with his mother.

"Wait…" Esposito interrupted then, frowning as he stepped further towards the window.

"What," Kate asked quickly.

"There's something written on the windshield…something written with blood…" Javier said in a serious tone, frowning as he looked by the window.

Curious, Rick softly let Alexis go before her grandmother took her in her arms and lead her to the couch.

"What the…"

Rick couldn't finish his phrase as his eyes widened. By his side, Kate swallowed hard. She got the message too.

Indeed, on the broken windshield of Lanie's car, some letters painted in red had been written clumsily with the golden retriever's blood. The message was perfectly clear:

.

**"YOU'RE NEXT…"**

.

"All right, now the wrecked car, the blasting horn and that message, it's becoming creepy," Esposito reacted.

"You're next. Who? Someone in particular or us all?" Kate said in a low voice, searching for Rick's look as if she needed his support.

Castle remained silent, still in shock after that horrifying discovery. He kept staring at the letters without understanding.

"He's leaving us a message…" he whispered, stunned.

" Oh my God. He wants to kill us all," Lanie cried, turning back to Javier, panicking. "He's really going to kill us all," she repeated, with a shaky voice. She was strong but considering the alarming circumstances, she couldn't help but freak out. "He's going to torture us, one by one," she kept saying.

Esposito ran to her. "Lanie, calm down," he ordered as he held her against him, trying to control the panic that would spread to everyone soon. "That message means nothing," he began to comfort her, but she cut him off.

"Nothing?" she said, stepping back. "He tortured Gina, tried to kill Ryan, gutted Royal and now he sends him to us with that message and you say it's nothing?"

"Nothing's going to happen to us, I promise you," Javier said as he stroked her hair, her face, wiping her tears. "I won't let him," he said, bringing her back to his arms. This time, she didn't have the strength to fight him back and stayed against him, feeling the scent of his polo shirt and closing her eyes. It was only in his arms she felt safe anyway.

"I think the message is clear anyway," Castle interrupted. "In the end, he only wants me. That message is for me," he said.

Kate turned to him, taken aback. "What are you talking about? It can be for all of us, Rick."

"No," Rick said as he shook his head. "I am his target. Only me, I'm sure. First Gina, now Royal, the dog I was taking care of."

"He shot Ryan too, have you already forgotten?" Kate reacted.

"That part is the only contradiction in all his actions…I'm still convinced he wasn't aiming him at first. And it happened around my house. I don't know…I have the strangest feeling that, he has a grudge against me."

"Richard, you can't be serious," Martha said from the couch, next to Jenny who still couldn't believe it. She was staring at her husband, still unconscious. She wanted him to wake up so bad, to comfort her.

"Sorry for being rude, but he's just a fucking maniac who wants to kill us, Castle", Esposito interrupting, still stroking Lanie's hair.

"Maybe now he wants to hurt us all, but if you're all in danger…first of all it's because of me."

"We don't know that," Kate protested as she stepped towards him.

"Stop it, Kate. I'm sure you know I'm right."

Kate replied nothing and bit her lips.

"To be honest…I don't know what to think anymore", she admitted in a whisper. "Maybe…maybe it's someone else who attacked the dog?" she added, thinking her idea was absurd though.

"What, with so much violence, and then sending us that message?" Castle said. "Do you really believe it's another maniac? Different from the one who shot Ryan, the one who raped and murdered Gina?"

"No you're right…that was stupid", she admitted with a sigh.

"I don't think there are different killers…For me anyway, there's no doubt we have only one maniac after us. We have to find out who, and why. But I'm still convinced I'm the target…See, it makes sense. Besides…Look what he did to Royal", Rick added, pointing at the bay window. "All right, we can't see perfectly from here…but what he did to him…I mean, it seems he was gutted the same way Gina was. And then the guy brings him prominently right under my window…It's provocative, obviously. That guy hates me, for some reasons I don't get yet," he ended, trying not to sound scared in front of the others.

"If he hates you, like you say…it doesn't mean he'll get you," Kate said in a whisper, brushing his hand. "He won't hurt anyone here," she added, convinced. He let out a bitter laugh.

"I'm not even worried for me…" he whispered. "But for Alexis, for my mother…and you."

Despite the situation, Kate smiled and gazed at him.

Meanwhile, Esposito was still looking by the window and winced. It was a real butchery. It was hard to tell whether it was the same killer but Castle might be right. From the window, it looked similar actually.

"Guys, maybe we should bring the dog's body here," the latino said as he looked at them all seriously.

"What?!" Lanie said as she finally stepped back. Espo shrugged.

"Maybe we can find some matches with what we know about Gina, and maybe it can help us find out who that maniac is and stop him."

"We can learn about him, yes, but as long as we can't call 911, we won't stop him, Espo," Kate replied.

"Well, that's a start, isn't it? As soon as we can call 911, the case can be solved faster if we already bring elements…"Javier added.

"As soon as we can call them? You're optimistic," Kate smiled softly.

"You'd rather think we're all gonna die?" Esposito retorted.

"Of course not," she said.

Rick nodded.

"I agree with Esposito about the autopsy. Maybe we can find some clues…something that would allow us to understand who the guy is…anyway, we're not going to stay here, doing nothing, right?" he asked, searching for the detective's approval look.

Beckett sighed and nodded, opened to any suggestion considering her state of mind. She was exhausted physically and psychologically.

"Fine, let's carry out an autopsy on the dog…after all", she nodded as she didn't have any more idea.

At the same time, out of battery, Lanie's car lights turned off, and the blasting sound of the horn stopped, finally.

.

_to be continued...(again, sorry for Royal. We swear to you, we DO love dogs in real life! thank you for reading and see you to the next chapter! xxx)_


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